School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Iceland

Iceland: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 19.18 years in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
19.18 years
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
7th
of 183 countries
All-time high
19.59 years
in 2014
All-time low
11.99 years
in 1971
Years of data
44
1971–2018

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Iceland, 1971–2018

051015201971199420181971: 12 years1972: 12.2 years1975: 12.3 years1976: 12.4 years1977: 12.6 years1978: 12.5 years1980: 12.6 years1981: 13 years1982: 13.1 years1983: 13.3 years1984: 13.5 years1985: 13.4 years1986: 13.5 years1987: 13.7 years1988: 13.7 years1989: 14 years1990: 14.2 years1991: 15.3 years1992: 15.6 years1993: 15.5 years1994: 15.7 years1995: 15.8 years1996: 15.9 years1998: 16.8 years1999: 16.8 years2000: 17.1 years2001: 17.2 years2002: 17.7 years2003: 18.4 years2004: 18 years2005: 18.2 years2006: 18.3 years2007: 18.2 years2008: 18.4 years2009: 18.3 years2010: 18.5 years2011: 18.5 years2012: 18.8 years2013: 19.5 years2014: 19.6 years2015: 19.3 years2016: 19.2 years2017: 19.1 years2018: 19.2 years

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2018, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Iceland stood at 19.18 years.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 4.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Iceland peaked at 19.59 years in 2014 and was at its lowest, 11.99 years, in 1971.

Iceland ranks 7th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Iceland, year by year

Annual values for School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) in Iceland, 1971 to 2018.
Year years Change
1971 11.99 years
1972 12.2 years +1.7%
1975 12.28 years +0.7%
1976 12.44 years +1.3%
1977 12.64 years +1.6%
1978 12.5 years -1.1%
1980 12.56 years +0.5%
1981 12.96 years +3.2%
1982 13.12 years +1.2%
1983 13.28 years +1.3%
1984 13.48 years +1.5%
1985 13.45 years -0.2%
1986 13.47 years +0.2%
1987 13.65 years +1.4%
1988 13.75 years +0.7%
1989 14.01 years +1.9%
1990 14.24 years +1.6%
1991 15.3 years +7.4%
1992 15.6 years +2.0%
1993 15.47 years -0.8%
1994 15.69 years +1.5%
1995 15.82 years +0.8%
1996 15.88 years +0.4%
1998 16.82 years +5.9%
1999 16.82 years +0.0%
2000 17.13 years +1.8%
2001 17.25 years +0.7%
2002 17.7 years +2.6%
2003 18.35 years +3.7%
2004 17.98 years -2.0%
2005 18.17 years +1.0%
2006 18.3 years +0.7%
2007 18.23 years -0.4%
2008 18.4 years +0.9%
2009 18.32 years -0.4%
2010 18.52 years +1.1%
2011 18.55 years +0.1%
2012 18.84 years +1.6%
2013 19.47 years +3.3%
2014 19.59 years +0.6%
2015 19.35 years -1.2%
2016 19.17 years -0.9%
2017 19.08 years -0.5%
2018 19.18 years +0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 12.34 years 11.99 years 12.64 years 6
1980s 13.37 years 12.56 years 14.01 years 10
1990s 15.74 years 14.24 years 16.82 years 9
2000s 17.98 years 17.13 years 18.4 years 10
2010s 19.08 years 18.52 years 19.59 years 9

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 4 Belgium 19.56 years compare
  2. 5 Greece 19.5 years compare
  3. 6 Finland 19.48 years compare
  4. 8 New Zealand 18.88 years compare
  5. 9 Denmark 18.79 years compare
  6. 10 Grenada 18.63 years compare

See the full ranking of 228 places →

More education data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

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 19.18 years in 2018, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 19.59 years in 2014.
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 7th out of 183 countries with data for 2018.
Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-life-expectancy-primary-to-tertiary-both-sexes-years/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years)
Unit
years
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
228 places, 7,038 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Expected years of schooling is the number of years a child of school entrance age is expected to spend at school, or university, including years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrolment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education.