Share of children who have completed primary school in Iceland
Iceland: Share of children who have completed primary school was 97.4% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Share of children who have completed primary school in Iceland, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 97.4% for share of children who have completed primary school in 2025.
The figure is up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Iceland peaked at 97.8% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 97.3%, in 2017.
Iceland ranks 83rd of 165 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 97.7% | — |
| 1982 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 97.7% | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 97.8% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 97.8% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 97.7% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 97.7% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 97.7% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 97.7% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 97.7% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 97.6% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 97.5% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 97.5% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 97.4% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 97.3% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 97.3% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 97.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 97.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 97.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 97.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 97.4% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 97.4% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 97.4% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 97.4% | +0.0% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 97.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.6%, 98% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 97.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 99.6%, 98% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 97.7% | 97.7% | 97.7% | 9 |
| 1990s | 97.7% | 97.7% | 97.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 97.7% | 97.7% | 97.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 97.5% | 97.3% | 97.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.4% | 97.3% | 97.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
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 share of children who have completed primary school in Iceland?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Iceland was 97.4% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 97.8% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 97.3% in 2017.
- How does Iceland rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Iceland ranks 83rd out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.