Share of students from abroad in Iceland
Iceland: Share of students from abroad was 10.3 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of students from abroad in Iceland, 1998–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of students from abroad in Iceland is 10.3, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.2% on the previous year and up 57.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in Iceland peaked at 10.3 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.4, in 1998.
Iceland ranks 43rd of 134 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Share of students from abroad in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2.4 | — |
| 1999 | 2.45 | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 4.17 | +70.4% |
| 2001 | 4.13 | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 4.07 | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 4.35 | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 3.32 | -23.5% |
| 2006 | 4.55 | +36.8% |
| 2007 | 4.95 | +8.8% |
| 2008 | 4.33 | -12.5% |
| 2009 | 4.63 | +6.9% |
| 2010 | 4.92 | +6.4% |
| 2011 | 5.83 | +18.4% |
| 2012 | 6.21 | +6.5% |
| 2013 | 6.54 | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 7.4 | +13.1% |
| 2016 | 6.78 | -8.4% |
| 2017 | 6.85 | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 8.02 | +17.0% |
| 2019 | 8.45 | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 8.51 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 7.9 | -7.2% |
| 2022 | 9.61 | +21.6% |
| 2023 | 10.3 | +7.2% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 10.3 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.58, 97% of the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 10.3 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 9.89, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of students from abroad in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +70.4% | 2.45 | 4.17 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.42 | 2.4 | 2.45 | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.28 | 3.32 | 4.95 | 9 |
| 2010s | 6.78 | 4.92 | 8.45 | 9 |
| 2020s | 9.08 | 7.9 | 10.3 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More education data for Iceland
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.24 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.18 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,661 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,167 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 37,056 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 32,314 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students from abroad in Iceland?
- Share of students from abroad in Iceland was 10.3 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students from abroad recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 10.3 in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4 in 1998.
- How does Iceland rank for share of students from abroad?
- Iceland ranks 43rd out of 134 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 57.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of students from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).