School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Iceland
Iceland: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes was 15,135 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
15,135
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
180th
of 220 countries
All-time high
15,329
in 2024
All-time low
11,830
in 2000
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Iceland, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Iceland stood at 15,135.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and up 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Iceland peaked at 15,329 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 11,830, in 2000.
That places Iceland 180th out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 12,907 | — |
| 1971 | 13,222 | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 13,375 | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 13,617 | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 13,726 | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 13,706 | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 13,618 | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 13,610 | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 13,775 | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 13,766 | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 13,619 | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 13,197 | -3.1% |
| 1982 | 12,720 | -3.6% |
| 1983 | 12,329 | -3.1% |
| 1984 | 11,993 | -2.7% |
| 1985 | 12,052 | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 12,465 | +3.4% |
| 1987 | 13,018 | +4.4% |
| 1988 | 12,998 | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 12,726 | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 12,435 | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 12,224 | -1.7% |
| 1992 | 12,128 | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 12,445 | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 13,081 | +5.1% |
| 1995 | 13,328 | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 13,174 | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 12,918 | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 12,657 | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 12,160 | -3.9% |
| 2000 | 11,830 | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 11,934 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 12,694 | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 13,290 | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 13,960 | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 13,834 | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 14,033 | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 13,925 | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 14,043 | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 13,853 | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 13,551 | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 13,273 | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 13,138 | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 12,876 | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 12,990 | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 12,875 | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 12,729 | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 12,668 | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 12,958 | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 13,254 | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 13,592 | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 13,839 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 14,380 | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 15,067 | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 15,329 | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 15,135 | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13,532 | 12,907 | 13,775 | 10 |
| 1980s | 12,712 | 11,993 | 13,619 | 10 |
| 1990s | 12,655 | 12,128 | 13,328 | 10 |
| 2000s | 13,340 | 11,830 | 14,043 | 10 |
| 2010s | 13,031 | 12,668 | 13,551 | 10 |
| 2020s | 14,557 | 13,592 | 15,329 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 177 New Caledonia 16,822 compare
- 178 French Polynesia 16,773 compare
- 179 Bahamas 15,949 compare
- 181 Martinique 14,710 compare
- 182 Malta 14,097 compare
- 183 Brunei 13,090 compare
More education data for Iceland
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3,568 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Iceland?
- School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Iceland was 15,135 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 15,329 in 2024.
- What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,830 in 2000.
- How does Iceland rank for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes?
- Iceland ranks 180th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release