Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Iceland
Iceland: Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary was 3.2% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Iceland, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 3.2% for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in 2023.
That represents a change of up 7.9% on the previous year and down 32.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Iceland peaked at 11.6% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 2017.
That places Iceland 128th out of 175 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 11.6% | — |
| 1999 | 10.5% | -9.6% |
| 2000 | 5.6% | -46.5% |
| 2001 | 6.4% | +13.8% |
| 2002 | 5.7% | -10.1% |
| 2003 | 4.5% | -21.0% |
| 2004 | 4.5% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 4.2% | -5.1% |
| 2006 | 4.1% | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 5.5% | +35.8% |
| 2008 | 3.1% | -43.0% |
| 2009 | 5.1% | +61.6% |
| 2010 | 5.6% | +10.5% |
| 2011 | 4.4% | -20.8% |
| 2012 | 2.0% | -54.1% |
| 2013 | 4.8% | +136.4% |
| 2014 | 3.4% | -30.4% |
| 2015 | 2.4% | -28.2% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | -29.7% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | +44.1% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | +33.4% |
| 2020 | 3.2% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 3.8% | +19.1% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | -20.1% |
| 2023 | 3.2% | +7.9% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 3.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.8%, 84% of the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 3.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.8%, 85% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.0% | 10.5% | 11.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.9% | 3.1% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 1.6% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 3.0% | 3.8% | 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 out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Iceland?
- Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Iceland was 3.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 11.6% in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 2017.
- How does Iceland rank for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- Iceland ranks 128th out of 175 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 one year before the official primary entry 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