School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Iceland
Iceland: School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes was 9.82 years in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
9.82 years
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
48th
of 200 countries
All-time high
10.02 years
in 1996
All-time low
9.82 years
in 2023
Years of data
29
1994–2023
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Iceland, 1994–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Iceland stood at 9.82 years. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Iceland peaked at 10.02 years in 1996 and was at its lowest, 9.82 years, in 2023.
That places Iceland 48th out of 200 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Iceland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 9.97 years | — |
| 1995 | 9.96 years | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 10.02 years | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 9.98 years | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 9.9 years | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 9.92 years | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 9.93 years | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 9.91 years | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 9.92 years | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 9.91 years | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 9.92 years | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 9.9 years | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 9.87 years | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 9.86 years | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 9.84 years | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 9.88 years | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 9.88 years | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 9.88 years | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 9.88 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9.88 years | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 9.87 years | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 9.89 years | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 9.89 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9.88 years | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 9.88 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9.86 years | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 9.86 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 9.85 years | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 9.82 years | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.97 years | 9.9 years | 10.02 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 9.9 years | 9.84 years | 9.93 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.88 years | 9.87 years | 9.89 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.85 years | 9.82 years | 9.86 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More education data for Iceland
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -7.29 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2,908 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 660 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 13,388 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -7.26 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 6,899 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) -7.35 % change on previous year (2023)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Iceland?
- School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Iceland was 9.82 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 10.02 years in 1996.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.82 years in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes?
- Iceland ranks 48th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. 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, published as part of School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release