Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Iceland
Iceland: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 6.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Iceland, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Iceland is 6.8%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 19.3% on the previous year and up 30.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Iceland peaked at 8.4% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 5.0%, in 2021.
That places Iceland 104th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 8.1% | — |
| 1999 | 8.4% | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 8.1% | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 7.7% | -5.0% |
| 2002 | 7.1% | -8.4% |
| 2003 | 6.2% | -11.7% |
| 2004 | 6.2% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 6.0% | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 6.5% | +9.4% |
| 2007 | 7.1% | +7.8% |
| 2008 | 7.3% | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 7.3% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 6.0% | -17.8% |
| 2011 | 5.9% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 5.5% | -7.3% |
| 2013 | 5.2% | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 5.2% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 5.2% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 5.4% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 5.1% | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 5.3% | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 5.9% | +12.4% |
| 2020 | 6.1% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 5.0% | -18.0% |
| 2022 | 5.7% | +14.0% |
| 2023 | 6.8% | +19.3% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 6.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.5%, 1.9× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 6.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.5%, 1.9× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.2% | 8.1% | 8.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.0% | 6.0% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.5% | 5.1% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.9% | 5.0% | 6.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 101 Saint Kitts and Nevis 7.4% compare
- 102 Colombia 7.3% compare
- 103 Iran, Islamic Republic of 6.9% compare
- 105 Mongolia 6.7% compare
- 106 Cook Islands 6.7% compare
- 107 Canada 6.6% 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 rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Iceland?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Iceland was 6.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 8.4% in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.0% in 2021.
- How does Iceland rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Iceland ranks 104th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). 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