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 6.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
6.6%
Change on year
up 20.3%
World rank
96th
of 171 countries
All-time high
7.7%
in 1998
All-time low
4.6%
in 2015
Years of data
26
1998–2023
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Iceland, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 6.6% for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in 2023.
The figure is up 20.3% on the previous year and up 43.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Iceland peaked at 7.7% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 2015.
Iceland ranks 96th of 171 countries on this measure, 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 | 7.7% | — |
| 1999 | 7.7% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 7.5% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 7.3% | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 6.7% | -7.5% |
| 2003 | 6.0% | -11.0% |
| 2004 | 6.0% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 5.8% | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 6.1% | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 6.1% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 6.7% | +9.7% |
| 2009 | 6.7% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 5.5% | -18.2% |
| 2011 | 5.5% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 5.1% | -6.6% |
| 2013 | 4.6% | -9.2% |
| 2014 | 4.7% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 4.6% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 4.7% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 4.9% | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 5.7% | +15.3% |
| 2020 | 5.9% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 4.8% | -18.4% |
| 2022 | 5.5% | +14.3% |
| 2023 | 6.6% | +20.3% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 6.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.0%, 2.2× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 6.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.2%, 2.0× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.7% | 7.7% | 7.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.5% | 5.8% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 4.6% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.7% | 4.8% | 6.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 93 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6.9% compare
- 94 Canada 6.7% compare
- 95 Qatar 6.7% compare
- 97 Colombia 6.6% compare
- 98 Costa Rica 6.6% compare
- 99 Kyrgyzstan 6.5% 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 6.6% 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 7.7% in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 2015.
- How does Iceland rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Iceland ranks 96th out of 171 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 43.2%. 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, female (%). 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