Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Iceland
Iceland: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 29.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Iceland, 2013–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Iceland stood at 29.8%. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Iceland peaked at 33.6% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 29.8%, in 2023.
That places Iceland 146th out of 149 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 33.6% | — |
| 2014 | 33.1% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 32.7% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 32.1% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 32.0% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 32.0% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 31.6% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 31.0% | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 30.7% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 30.2% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 29.8% | -1.3% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 29.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 43.0%, 69% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 29.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 43.4%, 69% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 32.4% | 31.6% | 33.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 30.4% | 29.8% | 31.0% | 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 percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Iceland?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Iceland was 29.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 33.6% in 2013.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.8% in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Iceland ranks 146th out of 149 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.3%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release