School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes (years) (expectancy) in Iceland
Iceland: School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes (years) (expectancy) was 2.88 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes in Iceland, 1972–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 2.88 years for school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes 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, school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes in Iceland peaked at 2.92 years in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.5616 years, in 1972.
That places Iceland 46th out of 213 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes (years) (expectancy) in Iceland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 0.5616 years | — |
| 1973 | 0.6691 years | +19.1% |
| 1974 | 0.7589 years | +13.4% |
| 1975 | 0.8368 years | +10.3% |
| 1976 | 0.85 years | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 0.9437 years | +11.0% |
| 1978 | 0.9541 years | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 0.9786 years | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 0.984 years | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 1 years | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 1.01 years | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 1.02 years | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 1.03 years | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 1.04 years | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 1.02 years | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 1.02 years | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 1.03 years | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 1.02 years | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 0.9883 years | -3.3% |
| 1998 | 2.62 years | +165.0% |
| 1999 | 2.69 years | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 2.7 years | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 2.76 years | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 2.78 years | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 2.82 years | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 2.84 years | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 2.86 years | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 2.85 years | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 2.86 years | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 2.88 years | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 2.85 years | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 2.87 years | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 2.88 years | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 2.9 years | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 2.88 years | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 2.9 years | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 2.92 years | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 2.91 years | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 2.92 years | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 2.91 years | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 2.9 years | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 2.89 years | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 2.9 years | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 2.89 years | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 2.88 years | -0.2% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 2.88 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.49 years, 1.2× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 2.88 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.89 years, 100% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes (years) (expectancy) in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +165.0% | 0.9883 years | 2.62 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.8191 years | 0.5616 years | 0.9786 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 1.02 years | 0.984 years | 1.04 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1 years | 0.9883 years | 2.69 years | 3 |
| 2000s | 2.82 years | 2.7 years | 2.88 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.9 years | 2.87 years | 2.92 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.89 years | 2.88 years | 2.9 years | 4 |
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 school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes in Iceland?
- School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes in Iceland was 2.88 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.92 years in 2017.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5616 years in 1972.
- How does Iceland rank for school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes?
- Iceland ranks 46th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes 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, published as part of School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release