Net flow: outbound, both sexes (UIS estimate) … both sexes UIS in Iceland
Iceland: Net flow: outbound, both sexes (UIS estimate) … both sexes UIS was -486 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in Iceland, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in Iceland stood at -486. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 16.1% on the previous year and up 69.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in Iceland peaked at -486 in 2023 and was at its lowest, -2,524, in 2003.
That places Iceland 74th out of 148 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Net flow: outbound, both sexes (UIS estimate) … both sexes UIS in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | -2,071 | — |
| 1999 | -2,092 | +1.0% |
| 2000 | -1,953 | -6.6% |
| 2001 | -2,188 | +12.0% |
| 2002 | -2,447 | +11.8% |
| 2003 | -2,524 | +3.1% |
| 2004 | -1,682 | -33.4% |
| 2006 | -1,710 | +1.7% |
| 2007 | -1,695 | -0.9% |
| 2008 | -1,689 | -0.4% |
| 2009 | -1,850 | +9.5% |
| 2010 | -1,890 | +2.2% |
| 2011 | -1,606 | -15.0% |
| 2012 | -1,550 | -3.5% |
| 2013 | -1,592 | +2.7% |
| 2014 | -1,264 | -20.6% |
| 2016 | -1,402 | +10.9% |
| 2017 | -1,412 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | -1,874 | +32.7% |
| 2019 | -1,161 | -38.0% |
| 2020 | -1,113 | -4.1% |
| 2021 | -1,028 | -7.6% |
| 2022 | -579 | -43.7% |
| 2023 | -486 | -16.1% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's -486 is below the median for high income countries, which is 5,566. (64 countries reporting)
- Iceland's -486 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1,728. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | -2,082 | -2,092 | -2,071 | 2 |
| 2000s | -1,971 | -2,524 | -1,682 | 9 |
| 2010s | -1,528 | -1,890 | -1,161 | 9 |
| 2020s | -801.5 | -1,113 | -486 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 71 Saint Lucia -386 compare
- 72 Tuvalu -417 compare
- 73 Botswana -463 compare
- 75 Sao Tome and Principe -571 compare
- 76 Chile -644 compare
- 77 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -714 compare
More education data for Iceland
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.24 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.18 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in Iceland?
- Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in Iceland was -486 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was -486 in 2023.
- What is the lowest net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was -2,524 in 2003.
- How does Iceland rank for net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound)?
- Iceland ranks 74th out of 148 countries with data for 2023.
- Is net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 69.5%. 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 Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound), both sexes (UIS estimate) (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release