School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Iceland
Iceland: School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes was 20,066 in 2025. ▲ Rising
School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Iceland, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 20,066 for school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Iceland peaked at 20,066 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 15,748, in 1970.
That places Iceland 172nd out of 220 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, upper secondary education, both sexes in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 15,748 | — |
| 1971 | 15,905 | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 16,368 | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 16,931 | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 17,327 | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 17,603 | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 17,982 | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 18,160 | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 17,916 | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 18,030 | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 18,038 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 17,968 | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 18,182 | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 18,222 | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 17,827 | -2.2% |
| 1985 | 17,294 | -3.0% |
| 1986 | 16,840 | -2.6% |
| 1987 | 16,223 | -3.7% |
| 1988 | 16,159 | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 16,763 | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 17,004 | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 17,151 | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 17,334 | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 16,990 | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 16,463 | -3.1% |
| 1995 | 16,430 | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 16,657 | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 16,993 | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 17,476 | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 17,778 | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 17,644 | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 17,289 | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 16,804 | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 16,324 | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 16,280 | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 16,807 | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 17,495 | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 18,460 | +5.5% |
| 2008 | 18,975 | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 19,088 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 19,185 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 18,828 | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 18,687 | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 18,458 | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 18,121 | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 17,856 | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 17,710 | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 17,711 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 17,719 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 17,616 | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 17,722 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 17,798 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 18,203 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 18,957 | +4.1% |
| 2024 | 19,640 | +3.6% |
| 2025 | 20,066 | +2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 17,197 | 15,748 | 18,160 | 10 |
| 1980s | 17,352 | 16,159 | 18,222 | 10 |
| 1990s | 17,028 | 16,430 | 17,778 | 10 |
| 2000s | 17,517 | 16,280 | 19,088 | 10 |
| 2010s | 18,189 | 17,616 | 19,185 | 10 |
| 2020s | 18,731 | 17,722 | 20,066 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More education data for Iceland
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Iceland?
- School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Iceland was 20,066 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 20,066 in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 15,748 in 1970.
- How does Iceland rank for school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes?
- Iceland ranks 172nd out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. 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, upper secondary 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