School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Iceland
Iceland: School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) was 31,815 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
31,815
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
177th
of 222 countries
All-time high
33,503
in 2021
All-time low
24,701
in 1980
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Iceland, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 31,815 for school age population, primary education, both sexes in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Iceland peaked at 33,503 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 24,701, in 1980.
That places Iceland 177th 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, primary education, both sexes (number) in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 27,387 | — |
| 1971 | 27,368 | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 27,512 | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 27,502 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 27,335 | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 27,208 | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 26,696 | -1.9% |
| 1977 | 26,024 | -2.5% |
| 1978 | 25,221 | -3.1% |
| 1979 | 24,729 | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 24,701 | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 24,849 | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 24,913 | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 25,099 | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 25,443 | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 25,197 | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 24,709 | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 24,719 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 25,259 | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 25,508 | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 25,611 | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 30,002 | +17.1% |
| 1992 | 29,882 | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 29,396 | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 29,076 | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 29,243 | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 29,205 | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 29,573 | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 30,007 | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 30,703 | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 31,554 | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 32,002 | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 31,818 | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 31,769 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 31,263 | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 31,038 | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 30,760 | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 30,524 | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 30,417 | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 30,345 | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 29,918 | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 29,803 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 29,734 | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 29,941 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 30,264 | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 30,827 | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 31,524 | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 32,349 | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 32,786 | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 33,205 | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 33,313 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 33,503 | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 33,191 | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 32,899 | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 31,842 | -3.2% |
| 2025 | 31,815 | -0.1% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 31,815 is below the median for high income countries, which is 215,283, 15% of the median. (80 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 31,815 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 432,642, 7% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 26,698 | 24,729 | 27,512 | 10 |
| 1980s | 25,040 | 24,701 | 25,508 | 10 |
| 1990s | 29,270 | 25,611 | 30,703 | 10 |
| 2000s | 31,149 | 30,345 | 32,002 | 10 |
| 2010s | 31,035 | 29,734 | 33,205 | 10 |
| 2020s | 32,760 | 31,815 | 33,503 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 174 Montenegro 38,850 compare
- 175 Sao Tome and Principe 35,220 compare
- 176 Samoa 34,574 compare
- 178 French Guiana 30,882 compare
- 179 Malta 28,362 compare
- 180 Bahamas 28,065 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, primary education, both sexes in Iceland?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Iceland was 31,815 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 33,503 in 2021.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 24,701 in 1980.
- How does Iceland rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Iceland ranks 177th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. 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, primary education, 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