School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Iceland
Iceland: School age population, tertiary education, both sexes was 26,152 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
26,152
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
178th
of 221 countries
All-time high
26,512
in 2023
All-time low
17,039
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Iceland, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 26,152 for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in 2025.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Iceland peaked at 26,512 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 17,039, in 1970.
Iceland ranks 178th of 221 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, tertiary education, both sexes in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 17,039 | — |
| 1971 | 17,359 | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 17,961 | +3.5% |
| 1973 | 18,451 | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 18,918 | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 19,445 | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 19,865 | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 20,270 | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 20,780 | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 20,956 | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 21,354 | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 21,617 | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 21,669 | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 21,936 | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 22,264 | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 22,229 | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 22,072 | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 22,175 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 22,161 | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 22,036 | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 21,353 | -3.1% |
| 1991 | 20,594 | -3.6% |
| 1992 | 20,471 | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 20,624 | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 20,953 | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 20,793 | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 20,940 | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 21,101 | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 20,656 | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 20,484 | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 21,053 | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 21,697 | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 22,019 | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 22,235 | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 22,093 | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 21,722 | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 21,545 | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 21,632 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 22,604 | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 23,347 | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 22,994 | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 23,580 | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 23,999 | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 24,367 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 24,754 | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 25,039 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 24,886 | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 25,186 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 25,721 | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 25,913 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 25,770 | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 25,466 | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 25,748 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 26,512 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 25,792 | -2.7% |
| 2025 | 26,152 | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 19,104 | 17,039 | 20,956 | 10 |
| 1980s | 21,951 | 21,354 | 22,264 | 10 |
| 1990s | 20,797 | 20,471 | 21,353 | 10 |
| 2000s | 21,995 | 21,053 | 23,347 | 10 |
| 2010s | 24,644 | 22,994 | 25,913 | 10 |
| 2020s | 25,907 | 25,466 | 26,512 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 175 Bahamas 28,608 compare
- 176 Vanuatu 27,382 compare
- 177 French Guiana 27,308 compare
- 179 Malta 26,138 compare
- 180 Sao Tome and Principe 25,151 compare
- 181 Guadeloupe 23,169 compare
More education data for Iceland
- 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 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 66.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.5% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 98.22 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 98.2% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Iceland?
- School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Iceland was 26,152 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 26,512 in 2023.
- What is the lowest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 17,039 in 1970.
- How does Iceland rank for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes?
- Iceland ranks 178th out of 221 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. 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, tertiary 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