Share of population with no formal education in Iceland
Iceland: Share of population with no formal education was 1.8% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
1.8%
World rank
71st
of 111 countries
All-time high
80.2%
in 1870
All-time low
0.6%
in 1965
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of population with no formal education in Iceland, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population with no formal education in Iceland stood at 1.8%.
The figure is up 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in Iceland peaked at 80.2% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1965.
Iceland ranks 71st of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population with no formal education in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 80.2% | — |
| 1875 | 78.3% | -2.4% |
| 1880 | 76.4% | -2.4% |
| 1885 | 74.3% | -2.7% |
| 1890 | 72.0% | -3.1% |
| 1895 | 69.7% | -3.2% |
| 1900 | 67.3% | -3.4% |
| 1905 | 56.5% | -16.0% |
| 1910 | 47.4% | -16.1% |
| 1915 | 39.3% | -17.1% |
| 1920 | 37.8% | -3.8% |
| 1925 | 30.7% | -18.8% |
| 1930 | 24.2% | -21.2% |
| 1935 | 17.1% | -29.3% |
| 1940 | 10.0% | -41.5% |
| 1945 | 3.5% | -65.0% |
| 1950 | 1.0% | -71.4% |
| 1955 | 0.9% | -10.0% |
| 1960 | 0.8% | -11.1% |
| 1965 | 0.6% | -25.0% |
| 1970 | 0.7% | +16.7% |
| 1975 | 1.1% | +57.1% |
| 1980 | 1.2% | +9.1% |
| 1985 | 1.3% | +8.3% |
| 1990 | 1.4% | +7.7% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | +21.4% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 79.2% | 78.3% | 80.2% | 2 |
| 1880s | 75.3% | 74.3% | 76.4% | 2 |
| 1890s | 70.8% | 69.7% | 72.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 61.9% | 56.5% | 67.3% | 2 |
| 1910s | 43.3% | 39.3% | 47.4% | 2 |
| 1920s | 34.2% | 30.7% | 37.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 20.6% | 17.1% | 24.2% | 2 |
| 1940s | 6.8% | 3.5% | 10.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 68 Austria 1.9% compare
- 68 South Africa 1.9% compare
- 68 Zimbabwe 1.9% compare
- 71 Bulgaria 1.8% compare
- 71 Costa Rica 1.8% compare
- 71 El Salvador 1.8% compare
- 71 Philippines 1.8% compare
More education data for Iceland
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 15,815 (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate -1.06 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.041 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 16,499 (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -1.28 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.0428 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 37,056 (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.01 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 3,568 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.19 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in Iceland?
- Share of population with no formal education in Iceland was 1.8% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with no formal education recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 80.2% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1965.
- How does Iceland rank for share of population with no formal education?
- Iceland ranks 71st out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.