Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Iceland
Iceland: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal was 37.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
37.2%
Change on year
down 5.2%
World rank
4th
of 110 countries
All-time high
40.8%
in 2015
All-time low
23.3%
in 1995
Years of data
29
1995–2023
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Iceland, 1995–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Iceland stood at 37.2%.
The figure is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Iceland peaked at 40.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 23.3%, in 1995.
Iceland ranks 4th of 110 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 23.3% | — |
| 1996 | 26.1% | +12.1% |
| 1997 | 27.8% | +6.6% |
| 1998 | 30.2% | +8.8% |
| 1999 | 29.9% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 34.2% | +14.3% |
| 2001 | 35.8% | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 35.8% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 36.8% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 35.9% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 37.7% | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 40.4% | +7.0% |
| 2007 | 39.4% | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 37.0% | -6.2% |
| 2009 | 37.7% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 38.0% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 37.9% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 40.5% | +6.7% |
| 2013 | 37.7% | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 38.6% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 40.8% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 35.5% | -13.0% |
| 2017 | 34.5% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 32.4% | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 33.9% | +4.4% |
| 2020 | 32.6% | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 37.2% | +14.0% |
| 2022 | 39.3% | +5.6% |
| 2023 | 37.2% | -5.2% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 37.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 18.3%, 2.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 37.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 17.2%, 2.2× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.4% | 23.3% | 30.2% | 5 |
| 2000s | 37.1% | 34.2% | 40.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.0% | 32.4% | 40.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.6% | 32.6% | 39.3% | 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 participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Iceland?
- Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Iceland was 37.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 40.8% in 2015.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.3% in 1995.
- How does Iceland rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Iceland ranks 4th out of 110 countries with data for 2023.
- Is participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.2%. 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 Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-64 years old, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release