Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Iceland
Iceland: Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school was 96.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Iceland, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Iceland is 96.0%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Iceland peaked at 97.4% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 87.3%, in 1998.
Iceland ranks 22nd of 178 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 87.3% | — |
| 1999 | 89.6% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 90.1% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 91.9% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 92.8% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 94.0% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 94.6% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 95.2% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 94.9% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 95.5% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 95.8% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 95.1% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 95.5% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 96.0% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 96.7% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 96.0% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 96.6% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 97.2% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 97.0% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 97.4% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 97.0% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 96.7% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 96.3% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 96.6% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 96.2% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 96.0% | -0.2% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 96.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 87.1%, 1.1× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 96.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 87.9%, 1.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 88.4% | 87.3% | 89.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 94.0% | 90.1% | 95.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 96.6% | 95.5% | 97.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 96.3% | 96.0% | 96.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 19 United Kingdom 96.8% compare
- 20 Aruba 96.8% compare
- 21 Sweden 96.2% compare
- 23 Luxembourg 95.8% compare
- 24 South Korea 95.6% compare
- 25 Germany 95.6% compare
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 enrolled in pre-primary school in Iceland?
- Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Iceland was 96.0% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 97.4% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 87.3% in 1998.
- How does Iceland rank for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school?
- Iceland ranks 22nd out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children enrolled in pre-primary school rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of children of pre-primary school age (typically 3–5 years old) who are enrolled in pre-primary education.