Inequality in education in Iceland
Iceland: Inequality in education was 0.0226 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Inequality in education in Iceland, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, inequality in education in Iceland stood at 0.0226.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 22.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in education in Iceland peaked at 0.0305 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.022, in 2018.
That places Iceland 170th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Inequality in education in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.0305 | — |
| 2011 | 0.0292 | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 0.0282 | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 0.029 | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 0.0301 | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 0.0296 | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 0.0279 | -5.5% |
| 2017 | 0.0221 | -21.0% |
| 2018 | 0.022 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 0.0226 | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 0.0226 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0226 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.0226 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.0226 | +0.0% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 0.0226 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.0476, 48% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 0.0226 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.0317, 71% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.0271 | 0.022 | 0.0305 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0226 | 0.0226 | 0.0226 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
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 inequality in education in Iceland?
- Inequality in education in Iceland was 0.0226 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality in education recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0305 in 2010.
- What is the lowest inequality in education recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.022 in 2018.
- How does Iceland rank for inequality in education?
- Iceland ranks 170th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in education rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years adults older than 25 participated in formal education.