Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Iceland
Iceland: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 2.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Iceland, 1990–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Iceland is 2.2%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 6.9% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Iceland peaked at 2.6% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1994.
That places Iceland 18th out of 162 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.6% | — |
| 1993 | 1.5% | -41.4% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | -6.7% |
| 1996 | 1.6% | +13.4% |
| 1999 | 2.3% | +46.3% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 2.3% | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | +14.2% |
| 2003 | 2.5% | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 2.3% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 2.2% | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 2.1% | -6.0% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 2.2% | +6.0% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 2.5% | +11.4% |
| 2021 | 2.4% | -4.5% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | -6.9% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 2.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.1%, 2.0× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 2.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.1%, 2.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +46.3% | 1.6% | 2.3% |
| 1993 | -41.4% | 2.6% | 1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.9% | 1.4% | 2.6% | 5 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 15 North Macedonia 2.3% compare
- 16 Vanuatu 2.2% compare
- 17 Eswatini 2.2% compare
- 19 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 2.2% compare
- 20 Burkina Faso 2.1% compare
- 21 Mali 2.1% compare
More education data for Iceland
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,661 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,167 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 37,056 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 32,314 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0838 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Iceland?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Iceland was 2.2% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 2002.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1994.
- How does Iceland rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Iceland ranks 18th out of 162 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release