Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Iceland
Iceland: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 18.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Iceland, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Iceland stood at 18.8%. That is the lowest value across all 18 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.1% on the previous year and down 28.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Iceland peaked at 27.5% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 18.8%, in 2023.
Iceland ranks 108th of 124 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 22.3% | — |
| 2000 | 21.9% | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 25.3% | +15.5% |
| 2002 | 27.4% | +8.5% |
| 2003 | 23.8% | -13.0% |
| 2004 | 24.9% | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 23.1% | -7.0% |
| 2006 | 24.4% | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 27.1% | +11.0% |
| 2008 | 25.2% | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 27.5% | +9.3% |
| 2010 | 26.2% | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 21.8% | -16.5% |
| 2019 | 20.4% | -6.5% |
| 2020 | 20.8% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 21.0% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 19.8% | -5.5% |
| 2023 | 18.8% | -5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.3% | 22.3% | 22.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 25.1% | 21.9% | 27.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.8% | 20.4% | 26.2% | 3 |
| 2020s | 20.1% | 18.8% | 21.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More education data for Iceland
- 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)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 32,314 (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.17 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Iceland?
- Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Iceland was 18.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 27.5% in 2009.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.8% in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Iceland ranks 108th out of 124 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.0%. 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 graduates from tertiary education graduating from Business, Administration and Law programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release