Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Iceland
Iceland: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 18.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Iceland, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 18.0% for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.0% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Iceland peaked at 28.2% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 13.1%, in 2018.
Iceland ranks 32nd of 126 countries on this measure, in the top 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 | 24.1% | — |
| 2000 | 22.3% | -7.4% |
| 2001 | 21.3% | -4.3% |
| 2002 | 21.3% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 27.8% | +30.5% |
| 2004 | 27.5% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 28.2% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 26.5% | -6.0% |
| 2007 | 23.2% | -12.4% |
| 2008 | 22.8% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 20.5% | -9.8% |
| 2010 | 20.4% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 13.1% | -35.9% |
| 2019 | 13.8% | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 14.5% | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 16.8% | +16.1% |
| 2022 | 19.1% | +13.6% |
| 2023 | 18.0% | -6.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.1% | 24.1% | 24.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 24.2% | 20.5% | 28.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.8% | 13.1% | 20.4% | 3 |
| 2020s | 17.1% | 14.5% | 19.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More education data for Iceland
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3,568 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
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 18.0% 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 28.2% in 2005.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.1% in 2018.
- How does Iceland rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Iceland ranks 32nd out of 126 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 11.8%. 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 Education 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