School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Iceland
Iceland: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes was 7.35 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
7.35 years
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
34th
of 214 countries
All-time high
8.47 years
in 2013
All-time low
5.56 years
in 1971
Years of data
50
1971–2023
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Iceland, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 7.35 years for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and down 13.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Iceland peaked at 8.47 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 5.56 years, in 1971.
That places Iceland 34th out of 214 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Iceland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 5.56 years | — |
| 1972 | 5.67 years | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 5.6 years | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 5.73 years | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 5.88 years | +2.7% |
| 1978 | 5.8 years | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 5.88 years | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 5.63 years | -4.2% |
| 1981 | 5.98 years | +6.3% |
| 1982 | 6.06 years | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 6.1 years | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 6.29 years | +3.1% |
| 1985 | 6.5 years | +3.3% |
| 1986 | 6.58 years | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 6.76 years | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 6.73 years | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 6.79 years | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 6.91 years | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 7.02 years | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 7.12 years | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 7.19 years | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 7.15 years | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 7.12 years | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 7.15 years | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 7.85 years | +9.9% |
| 1999 | 7.72 years | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 7.69 years | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 7.68 years | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 7.88 years | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 8.1 years | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 7.53 years | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 7.6 years | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 7.55 years | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 7.5 years | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 7.46 years | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 7.42 years | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 7.63 years | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 7.65 years | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 7.93 years | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 8.47 years | +6.8% |
| 2014 | 8.31 years | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 8.22 years | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 8.04 years | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 7.92 years | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 7.8 years | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 7.58 years | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 7.48 years | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 7.74 years | +3.5% |
| 2022 | 7.57 years | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 7.35 years | -2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.73 years | 5.56 years | 5.88 years | 7 |
| 1980s | 6.34 years | 5.63 years | 6.79 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.25 years | 6.91 years | 7.85 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.64 years | 7.42 years | 8.1 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.95 years | 7.58 years | 8.47 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.53 years | 7.35 years | 7.74 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More education data for Iceland
- 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)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 98.22 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 98.2% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Iceland?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Iceland was 7.35 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 8.47 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.56 years in 1971.
- How does Iceland rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- Iceland ranks 34th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.2%. 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, secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release