Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Iceland
Iceland: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 21.2% 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 21.2% for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in 2023.
The figure is down 7.0% on the previous year and down 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Iceland peaked at 35.6% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 16.4%, in 2018.
Iceland ranks 30th of 124 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 | 32.6% | — |
| 2000 | 31.2% | -4.2% |
| 2001 | 28.5% | -8.8% |
| 2002 | 28.2% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 35.6% | +26.2% |
| 2004 | 35.0% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 34.0% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 33.1% | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 29.0% | -12.3% |
| 2008 | 28.9% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 26.0% | -10.2% |
| 2010 | 25.2% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 16.4% | -35.2% |
| 2019 | 17.0% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 17.6% | +4.0% |
| 2021 | 20.1% | +14.1% |
| 2022 | 22.8% | +13.2% |
| 2023 | 21.2% | -7.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.6% | 32.6% | 32.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 31.0% | 26.0% | 35.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.5% | 16.4% | 25.2% | 3 |
| 2020s | 20.4% | 17.6% | 22.8% | 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 (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 21.2% 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 35.6% in 2003.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.4% in 2018.
- How does Iceland rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Iceland ranks 30th 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 16.1%. 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, female (%). 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