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 5.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Iceland, 1986–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Iceland stood at 5.2%.
The figure is down 4.6% on the previous year and down 41.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Iceland peaked at 14.4% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 2019.
That places Iceland 81st out of 182 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 14.4% | — |
| 1998 | 7.1% | -50.9% |
| 1999 | 7.4% | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 7.5% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 8.8% | +16.2% |
| 2002 | 9.8% | +12.3% |
| 2003 | 9.4% | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 10.7% | +14.1% |
| 2005 | 9.5% | -10.8% |
| 2006 | 9.3% | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 8.5% | -8.4% |
| 2008 | 8.4% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 8.5% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 9.6% | +13.2% |
| 2011 | 9.6% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 9.2% | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 8.8% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 8.3% | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 8.0% | -3.8% |
| 2016 | 7.0% | -13.4% |
| 2017 | 5.9% | -14.7% |
| 2018 | 5.5% | -8.1% |
| 2019 | 4.8% | -11.3% |
| 2020 | 5.1% | +5.6% |
| 2021 | 5.6% | +9.8% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 5.2% | -4.6% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 5.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.3%, 62% of the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 5.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.3%, 34% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | -50.9% | 14.4% | 7.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.4% | 14.4% | 14.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 7.2% | 7.1% | 7.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 9.0% | 7.5% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.7% | 4.8% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.3% | 5.1% | 5.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 78 Andorra 5.2% compare
- 79 South Africa 5.2% compare
- 80 Cameroon 5.2% compare
- 82 United Arab Emirates 4.9% compare
- 83 Timor-Leste 4.8% compare
- 84 Saudi Arabia 4.8% 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 5.2% 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 14.4% 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 4.8% in 2019.
- How does Iceland rank for proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education?
- Iceland ranks 81st out of 182 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 41.4%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release