School-age population (upper secondary level) in Iceland
Iceland: School-age population (upper secondary level) was 20,066 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
20,066
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
67th
of 72 countries
All-time high
20,066
in 2025
All-time low
15,748
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School-age population in Iceland, 1970–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 20,066 for school-age population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in Iceland peaked at 20,066 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 15,748, in 1970.
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 (upper secondary level) 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% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 20,066 is below the median for high income countries, which is 213,540, 9% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 20,066 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 242,738, 8% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
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
- 64 Montenegro 32,313 compare
- 65 Luxembourg 28,040 compare
- 66 Cyprus 27,976 compare
- 68 Malta 18,015 compare
- 69 San Marino 1,798 compare
- 70 Andorra 1,768 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 20,066 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 20,066 in 2025.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 15,748 in 1970.
- 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 12.4%. 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 (upper secondary level). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).