School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Iceland
Iceland: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 4,731 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
4,731
Change on year
up 6.0%
World rank
178th
of 222 countries
All-time high
4,875
in 2015
All-time low
3,839
in 1991
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Iceland, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 4,731 for school age population, one year before the official primary entry in 2025.
The figure is up 6.0% on the previous year and down 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Iceland peaked at 4,875 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 3,839, in 1991.
That places Iceland 178th out of 222 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, one year before the official primary entry in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4,698 | — |
| 1971 | 4,605 | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 4,558 | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 4,536 | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 4,234 | -6.7% |
| 1975 | 4,086 | -3.5% |
| 1976 | 4,120 | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 3,874 | -6.0% |
| 1978 | 4,099 | +5.8% |
| 1979 | 4,475 | +9.2% |
| 1980 | 4,375 | -2.2% |
| 1981 | 4,026 | -8.0% |
| 1982 | 4,143 | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 4,154 | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 3,886 | -6.5% |
| 1985 | 4,053 | +4.3% |
| 1986 | 4,445 | +9.7% |
| 1987 | 4,490 | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 4,312 | -4.0% |
| 1989 | 4,358 | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 4,279 | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 3,839 | -10.3% |
| 1992 | 3,886 | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 4,183 | +7.6% |
| 1994 | 4,604 | +10.1% |
| 1995 | 4,488 | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 4,728 | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 4,491 | -5.0% |
| 1998 | 4,522 | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 4,571 | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 4,456 | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 4,327 | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 4,416 | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 4,225 | -4.3% |
| 2004 | 4,255 | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 4,167 | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 4,330 | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 4,140 | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 4,126 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 4,266 | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 4,389 | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 4,343 | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 4,423 | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 4,523 | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 4,726 | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 4,875 | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 4,853 | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 4,534 | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 4,597 | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 4,459 | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 4,473 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 4,325 | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 4,271 | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 4,334 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 4,463 | +3.0% |
| 2025 | 4,731 | +6.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4,328 | 3,874 | 4,698 | 10 |
| 1980s | 4,224 | 3,886 | 4,490 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4,359 | 3,839 | 4,728 | 10 |
| 2000s | 4,271 | 4,126 | 4,456 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,572 | 4,343 | 4,875 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,433 | 4,271 | 4,731 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 175 Sao Tome and Principe 5,983 compare
- 176 Macau, China 5,800 compare
- 177 Samoa 5,658 compare
- 179 Malta 4,452 compare
- 180 Bahamas 4,396 compare
- 181 New Caledonia 4,204 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 school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Iceland?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Iceland was 4,731 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 4,875 in 2015.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,839 in 1991.
- How does Iceland rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Iceland ranks 178th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.0%. 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, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release