School-age population (primary level) in Iceland
Iceland: School-age population (primary level) was 31,815 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
31,815
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
67th
of 72 countries
All-time high
33,503
in 2021
All-time low
24,701
in 1980
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School-age population in Iceland, 1970–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
In 2025, school-age population in Iceland stood at 31,815.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in Iceland peaked at 33,503 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 24,701, in 1980.
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 (primary level) 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 380,422, 8% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 31,815 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 432,925, 7% of the median. (52 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
- 64 Cyprus 57,568 compare
- 65 Luxembourg 43,358 compare
- 66 Montenegro 38,850 compare
- 68 Malta 28,362 compare
- 69 Andorra 4,083 compare
- 70 Liechtenstein 1,884 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 31,815 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 33,503 in 2021.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 24,701 in 1980.
- 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 3.2%. 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 (primary level). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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