Primary education, teachers in Iceland

Iceland: Primary education, teachers was 3,568 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
3,568
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
164th
of 204 countries
All-time high
3,568
in 2023
All-time low
1,379
in 1975
Years of data
17
1971–2023

Primary education, teachers in Iceland, 1971–2023

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1971199720231971: 1.4k1972: 1.4k1973: 1.5k1974: 1.5k1975: 1.4k1976: 1.4k2011: 3.0k2012: 3.0k2013: 3.0k2014: 3.0k2015: 3.0k2018: 3.2k2019: 3.3k2020: 3.4k2021: 3.4k2022: 3.5k2023: 3.6k

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

In 2023, primary education, teachers in Iceland stood at 3,568. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.

The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 18.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary education, teachers in Iceland peaked at 3,568 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,379, in 1975.

That places Iceland 164th out of 204 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.

Primary education, teachers in Iceland, year by year

Annual values for Primary education, teachers in Iceland, 1971 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1971 1,383
1972 1,431 +3.5%
1973 1,466 +2.4%
1974 1,466 +0.0%
1975 1,379 -5.9%
1976 1,380 +0.1%
2011 3,034 +119.9%
2012 2,960 -2.4%
2013 3,001 +1.4%
2014 2,991 -0.3%
2015 2,999 +0.3%
2018 3,171 +5.7%
2019 3,282 +3.5%
2020 3,377 +2.9%
2021 3,446 +2.0%
2022 3,526 +2.3%
2023 3,568 +1.2%

Iceland compared with similar countries

  • Iceland's 3,568 is below the median for high income countries, which is 17,584, 20% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
  • Iceland's 3,568 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 31,624, 11% of the median. (52 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Primary education, teachers in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2011 +119.9% 1,380 3,034

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1,418 1,379 1,466 6
2010s 3,063 2,960 3,282 7
2020s 3,479 3,377 3,568 4

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 161 Equatorial Guinea 4,021 compare
  2. 162 Comoros 3,952 compare
  3. 163 Brunei 3,846 compare
  4. 165 Bhutan 3,372 compare
  5. 166 Cape Verde 3,031 compare
  6. 167 Macao 2,896 compare

See the full ranking of 249 places →

More education data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary education, teachers in Iceland?
Primary education, teachers in Iceland was 3,568 in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary education, teachers recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 3,568 in 2023.
What is the lowest primary education, teachers recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 1,379 in 1975.
How does Iceland rank for primary education, teachers?
Iceland ranks 164th out of 204 countries with data for 2023.
Is primary education, teachers rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.9%. 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, teachers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Primary education, teachers in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/primary-education-teachers/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
Primary education, teachers
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
249 places, 9,469 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.