Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Iceland
Iceland: Share of the population with completed tertiary education was 51.4 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Iceland, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Iceland stood at 51.4. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 59.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Iceland peaked at 51.4 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1870.
That places Iceland 5th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0 | — |
| 1880 | 0 | — |
| 1885 | 0 | — |
| 1890 | 0 | — |
| 1895 | 0 | — |
| 1900 | 0.1 | — |
| 1905 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.2 | +100.0% |
| 1915 | 0.4 | +100.0% |
| 1920 | 0.5 | +25.0% |
| 1925 | 0.8 | +60.0% |
| 1930 | 1.1 | +37.5% |
| 1935 | 1.4 | +27.3% |
| 1940 | 1.8 | +28.6% |
| 1945 | 2.3 | +27.8% |
| 1950 | 2.8 | +21.7% |
| 1955 | 3.5 | +25.0% |
| 1960 | 4.2 | +20.0% |
| 1965 | 4.9 | +16.7% |
| 1970 | 5.7 | +16.3% |
| 1975 | 6.8 | +19.3% |
| 1980 | 8.9 | +30.9% |
| 1985 | 11.7 | +31.5% |
| 1990 | 14 | +19.7% |
| 1995 | 16.3 | +16.4% |
| 2000 | 20 | +22.7% |
| 2005 | 24.7 | +23.5% |
| 2010 | 32.2 | +30.4% |
| 2015 | 42 | +30.4% |
| 2020 | 51.4 | +22.4% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 51.4 is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.6, 1.7× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 51.4 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 30.85, 1.7× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with completed tertiary education 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | +100.0% | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 1915 | +100.0% | 0.2 | 0.4 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.65 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2 |
| 1930s | 1.25 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 2 |
| 1940s | 2.05 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 2 |
| 1950s | 3.15 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 2 |
| 1960s | 4.55 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 2 |
| 1970s | 6.25 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 2 |
| 1980s | 10.3 | 8.9 | 11.7 | 2 |
| 1990s | 15.15 | 14 | 16.3 | 2 |
| 2000s | 22.35 | 20 | 24.7 | 2 |
| 2010s | 37.1 | 32.2 | 42 | 2 |
| 2020s | 51.4 | 51.4 | 51.4 | 1 |
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 the population with completed tertiary education in Iceland?
- Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Iceland was 51.4 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 51.4 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1870.
- How does Iceland rank for share of the population with completed tertiary education?
- Iceland ranks 5th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with completed tertiary education rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 59.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with completed tertiary 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).