What is the highest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in Iceland?

The highest recorded value was 15.48 years in 2040.

What is the lowest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in Iceland?

The lowest recorded value was 8.2 years in 1980.

How does Iceland rank for share in poverty vs. educational attainment?

Iceland ranks 1st out of 146 countries with data for 2040.

Is share in poverty vs. educational attainment rising or falling in Iceland?

Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Iceland data come from?

The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share in poverty vs. educational attainment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Iceland

Name: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Iceland
Creator: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Iceland: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment was 15.48 years in 2040. ▲ Rising

Latest (2040)

15.48 years

World rank

1st

of 146 countries

All-time high

15.48 years

in 2040

All-time low

8.2 years

in 1980

Years of data

1980–2040

Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Iceland, 1980–2040

Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

Iceland recorded 15.48 years for share in poverty vs. educational attainment in 2040. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

The figure is up 6.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Iceland peaked at 15.48 years in 2040 and was at its lowest, 8.2 years, in 1980.

Iceland ranks 1st of 146 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1980s	8.46 years	8.2 years	8.71 years	2
1990s	9.46 years	9.23 years	9.7 years	2
2000s	10.5 years	10.17 years	10.83 years	2
2010s	12.23 years	11.52 years	12.95 years	2
2020s	13.8 years	13.53 years	14.07 years	2
2030s	14.84 years	14.61 years	15.07 years	2
2040s	15.48 years	15.48 years	15.48 years	1

Countries ranked near Iceland

2 South Korea 14.43 years compare
3 Germany 14.28 years compare
4 Singapore 14.19 years compare

See the full ranking of 146 places →

More education data for Iceland

Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
Population ages 15-64 66.5% (2025)
Population ages 0-14 17.5% (2025)
Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
School enrollment, primary 98.2% (2023)
Primary education, teachers 3,568 (2023)
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.52 live births per woman (2024)
School enrollment, primary, female 98.2% (2023)

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Iceland?: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Iceland was 15.48 years in 2040, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in Iceland?: The highest recorded value was 15.48 years in 2040.
What is the lowest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in Iceland?: The lowest recorded value was 8.2 years in 1980.
How does Iceland rank for share in poverty vs. educational attainment?: Iceland ranks 1st out of 146 countries with data for 2040.
Is share in poverty vs. educational attainment rising or falling in Iceland?: Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iceland data come from?: The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share in poverty vs. educational attainment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment
Unit: years
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 146 places, 1,653 data points, 1980–2040
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Average years of formal education for individuals aged 15-64.