School-age population (lower secondary level) in Iceland
Iceland: School-age population (lower secondary level) was 15,135 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
15,135
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
67th
of 72 countries
All-time high
15,329
in 2024
All-time low
11,830
in 2000
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School-age population in Iceland, 1970–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school-age population in Iceland is 15,135, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and up 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in Iceland peaked at 15,329 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 11,830, in 2000.
Iceland ranks 67th of 72 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School-age population (lower secondary level) 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% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 15,135 is below the median for high income countries, which is 265,780, 6% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 15,135 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 275,891, 5% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
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
- 64 Montenegro 32,217 compare
- 65 Cyprus 29,387 compare
- 66 Luxembourg 21,392 compare
- 68 Malta 14,097 compare
- 69 Andorra 3,358 compare
- 70 Liechtenstein 1,565 compare
More education data for Iceland
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.24 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.18 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school-age population in Iceland?
- School-age population in Iceland was 15,135 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 15,329 in 2024.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,830 in 2000.
- How does Iceland rank for school-age population?
- Iceland ranks 67th out of 72 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school-age population 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 UNICEF, published as part of School-age population (lower secondary level). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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