Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Iceland
Iceland: Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education was 8.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Iceland, 1977–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Iceland is 8.9%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 3.3% on the previous year and down 21.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Iceland peaked at 18.1% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 8.1%, in 2019.
That places Iceland 59th out of 183 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 13.4% | — |
| 1986 | 18.1% | +35.3% |
| 1998 | 11.5% | -36.6% |
| 1999 | 11.2% | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 11.2% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 12.4% | +10.8% |
| 2002 | 13.2% | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 13.1% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 13.7% | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 13.1% | -4.4% |
| 2006 | 12.5% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 11.3% | -9.3% |
| 2008 | 11.1% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 11.2% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 12.4% | +10.5% |
| 2011 | 12.3% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 11.4% | -7.4% |
| 2014 | 11.2% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 11.1% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 10.2% | -7.9% |
| 2017 | 9.2% | -9.5% |
| 2018 | 8.7% | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 8.1% | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 8.4% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 9.5% | +11.9% |
| 2022 | 9.2% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 8.9% | -3.3% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 8.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.0%, 89% of the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 8.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 17.8%, 50% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +35.3% | 13.4% | 18.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13.4% | 13.4% | 13.4% | 1 |
| 1980s | 18.1% | 18.1% | 18.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 11.4% | 11.2% | 11.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.3% | 11.1% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.7% | 8.1% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.0% | 8.4% | 9.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 56 Malta 10.0% compare
- 57 Tonga 9.8% compare
- 58 Iran, Islamic Republic of 9.0% compare
- 60 Costa Rica 8.8% compare
- 61 Morocco 8.5% compare
- 62 Brunei Darussalam 8.2% 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 proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Iceland?
- Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Iceland was 8.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 18.1% in 1986.
- What is the lowest proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.1% in 2019.
- How does Iceland rank for proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education?
- Iceland ranks 59th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.9%. 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 Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release