School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Iceland
Iceland: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 18.13 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
18.13 years
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
16th
of 186 countries
All-time high
19.76 years
in 2013
All-time low
11.99 years
in 1971
Years of data
49
1971–2023
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Iceland, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Iceland stood at 18.13 years.
The figure is down 3.8% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Iceland peaked at 19.76 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 11.99 years, in 1971.
Iceland ranks 16th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Iceland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 11.99 years | — |
| 1972 | 12.18 years | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 12.23 years | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 12.41 years | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 12.63 years | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 12.56 years | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 12.58 years | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 12.97 years | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 13.11 years | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 13.23 years | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 13.42 years | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 13.51 years | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 13.63 years | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 13.79 years | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 13.76 years | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 13.9 years | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 14.16 years | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 15.25 years | +7.7% |
| 1992 | 15.57 years | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 15.55 years | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 15.8 years | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 15.87 years | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 15.94 years | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 16.81 years | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 16.78 years | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 17.02 years | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 17.05 years | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 17.56 years | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 18.24 years | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 17.93 years | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 18.14 years | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 18.13 years | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 17.97 years | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 18.01 years | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 17.98 years | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 18.52 years | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 18.75 years | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 19.18 years | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 19.76 years | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 19.71 years | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 19.35 years | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 19.07 years | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 18.74 years | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 18.5 years | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 18.23 years | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 18.24 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 19.11 years | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 18.85 years | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 18.13 years | -3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12.33 years | 11.99 years | 12.63 years | 6 |
| 1980s | 13.39 years | 12.58 years | 13.9 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.75 years | 14.16 years | 16.81 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 17.8 years | 17.02 years | 18.24 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.98 years | 18.23 years | 19.76 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.58 years | 18.13 years | 19.11 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More education data for Iceland
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3,568 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 66.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.5% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Iceland?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Iceland was 18.13 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 19.76 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.99 years in 1971.
- How does Iceland rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Iceland ranks 16th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. 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, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release