Primary education, duration in Iceland
Iceland: Primary education, duration was 7 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
7 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
3rd
of 210 countries
All-time high
7 years
in 1991
All-time low
6 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Primary education, duration in Iceland, 1970–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 7 years for primary education, duration in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, duration in Iceland peaked at 7 years in 1991 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1970.
That places Iceland 3rd out of 210 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Primary education, duration in Iceland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6 years | — |
| 1971 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1992 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 7 years | +0.0% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 7 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 6 years, 1.2× the median. (80 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 7 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5 years, 1.4× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.9 years | 6 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 1 Guam 8 years compare
- 1 Ireland 8 years compare
- 3 Antigua and Barbuda 7 years compare
- 3 Australia 7 years compare
- 3 Botswana 7 years compare
- 3 British Virgin Islands 7 years compare
- 3 Denmark 7 years compare
- 3 Dominica 7 years compare
- 3 Eswatini 7 years compare
- 3 Grenada 7 years compare
- 3 Lesotho 7 years compare
- 3 Mozambique 7 years compare
- 3 Namibia 7 years compare
- 3 Norway 7 years compare
- 3 South Africa 7 years compare
- 3 Saint Kitts and Nevis 7 years compare
- 3 Saint Lucia 7 years compare
- 3 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7 years compare
- 3 Tanzania 7 years compare
- 3 Trinidad and Tobago 7 years compare
- 3 Uganda 7 years compare
- 3 Zambia 7 years compare
- 3 Zimbabwe 7 years compare
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 primary education, duration in Iceland?
- Primary education, duration in Iceland was 7 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, duration recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 7 years in 1991.
- What is the lowest primary education, duration recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
- How does Iceland rank for primary education, duration?
- Iceland ranks 3rd out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary education, duration rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary duration refers to the number of grades (years) in primary school.