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 65.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
65.3%
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
32nd
of 110 countries
All-time high
73.2%
in 2021
All-time low
58.5%
in 1996
Years of data
28
1996–2023
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Iceland, 1996–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 65.3% for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in 2023.
That represents a change of down 3.0% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Iceland peaked at 73.2% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 58.5%, in 1996.
That places Iceland 32nd out of 110 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 58.5% | — |
| 1997 | 64.0% | +9.4% |
| 1998 | 61.8% | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 60.0% | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 62.3% | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 61.1% | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 63.5% | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 60.6% | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 64.7% | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 66.2% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 66.7% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 68.2% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 64.1% | -6.1% |
| 2009 | 67.4% | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 69.5% | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 69.4% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 72.0% | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 69.0% | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 69.3% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 70.6% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 64.7% | -8.4% |
| 2017 | 64.8% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 62.9% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 66.8% | +6.2% |
| 2020 | 70.4% | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 73.2% | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 67.3% | -8.0% |
| 2023 | 65.3% | -3.0% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 65.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 69.2%, 94% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 65.3% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 69.2%, 94% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 61.1% | 58.5% | 64.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 64.5% | 60.6% | 68.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.9% | 62.9% | 72.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.1% | 65.3% | 73.2% | 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 65.3% 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 73.2% in 2021.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.5% in 1996.
- How does Iceland rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Iceland ranks 32nd 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 5.4%. 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, 15-24 years old, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release