Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Iceland
Iceland: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 425 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Iceland, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Iceland stood at 425. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 26.5% on the previous year and up 87.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Iceland peaked at 425 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 46, in 2001.
That places Iceland 149th out of 170 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 99 | — |
| 1999 | 154 | +55.6% |
| 2000 | 53 | -65.6% |
| 2001 | 46 | -13.2% |
| 2002 | 83 | +80.4% |
| 2003 | 55 | -33.7% |
| 2004 | 98 | +78.2% |
| 2005 | 49 | -50.0% |
| 2006 | 93 | +89.8% |
| 2007 | 266 | +186.0% |
| 2008 | 278 | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 288 | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 231 | -19.8% |
| 2011 | 235 | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 226 | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 227 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 224 | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 266 | +18.8% |
| 2016 | 237 | -10.9% |
| 2017 | 228 | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 247 | +8.3% |
| 2019 | 296 | +19.8% |
| 2020 | 315 | +6.4% |
| 2021 | 326 | +3.5% |
| 2022 | 336 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 425 | +26.5% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 425 is below the median for high income countries, which is 3,882, 11% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 425 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4,329, 10% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +186.0% | 93 | 266 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 126.5 | 99 | 154 | 2 |
| 2000s | 130.9 | 46 | 288 | 10 |
| 2010s | 241.7 | 224 | 296 | 10 |
| 2020s | 350.5 | 315 | 425 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 146 Tonga 503 compare
- 147 Seychelles 480 compare
- 148 Türkiye 447 compare
- 150 Cyprus 370 compare
- 151 Luxembourg 339 compare
- 152 Marshall Islands 332 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 out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Iceland?
- Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Iceland was 425 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 425 in 2023.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 46 in 2001.
- How does Iceland rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
- Iceland ranks 149th out of 170 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 87.2%. 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 Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release