Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Iceland
Iceland: Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 3,694 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Iceland, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Iceland stood at 3,694.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.3% on the previous year and up 36.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Iceland peaked at 4,632 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 2,622, in 2021.
Iceland ranks 139th of 184 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 4,474 | — |
| 1999 | 4,632 | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 4,596 | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 4,412 | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 3,894 | -11.7% |
| 2003 | 3,461 | -11.1% |
| 2004 | 3,390 | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 3,342 | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 3,620 | +8.3% |
| 2007 | 3,883 | +7.3% |
| 2008 | 4,091 | +5.4% |
| 2009 | 4,029 | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 3,304 | -18.0% |
| 2011 | 3,158 | -4.4% |
| 2012 | 2,914 | -7.7% |
| 2013 | 2,698 | -7.4% |
| 2014 | 2,729 | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 2,697 | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 2,886 | +7.0% |
| 2017 | 2,774 | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 2,854 | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 3,290 | +15.3% |
| 2020 | 3,302 | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 2,622 | -20.6% |
| 2022 | 3,045 | +16.1% |
| 2023 | 3,694 | +21.3% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 3,694 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10,070, 37% of the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 3,694 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 11,703, 32% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4,553 | 4,474 | 4,632 | 2 |
| 2000s | 3,872 | 3,342 | 4,596 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,930 | 2,697 | 3,304 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,166 | 2,622 | 3,694 | 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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Iceland?
- Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Iceland was 3,694 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 4,632 in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,622 in 2021.
- How does Iceland rank for out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
- Iceland ranks 139th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.9%. 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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (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