Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Iceland
Iceland: Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary was 98.2% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Iceland, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 98.2% for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Iceland peaked at 100.1% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 98.2%, in 2023.
That places Iceland 131st out of 217 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 98.9% | — |
| 1972 | 99.4% | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 99.0% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 98.9% | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 99.6% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 99.7% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 99.8% | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 99.6% | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 99.5% | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 99.7% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 99.4% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 99.4% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 99.6% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 99.4% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 99.7% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 99.4% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 99.2% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 99.8% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 99.6% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 100.1% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 99.2% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 99.0% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 98.9% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 99.1% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 99.3% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 98.9% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 99.1% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 99.2% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 98.9% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 98.6% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 98.4% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 98.4% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 98.8% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 98.8% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 98.8% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 98.8% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 98.7% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 99.0% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 98.9% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 98.8% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 98.6% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 98.5% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 98.2% | -0.3% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 98.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.8%, 98% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 98.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 101.2%, 97% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 99.2% | 98.9% | 99.8% | 9 |
| 1980s | 99.5% | 99.4% | 99.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 99.4% | 98.9% | 100.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 98.9% | 98.4% | 99.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.8% | 98.7% | 99.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.5% | 98.2% | 98.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
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, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Iceland?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Iceland was 98.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 100.1% in 1996.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 98.2% in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Iceland ranks 131st out of 217 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.