Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Iceland
Iceland: Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation was 64.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Iceland, 2004–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Iceland is 64.9%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Iceland peaked at 72.6% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 62.7%, in 2013.
That places Iceland 82nd out of 116 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 65.7% | — |
| 2005 | 67.9% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 65.2% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 69.3% | +6.3% |
| 2008 | 68.7% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 68.3% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 72.6% | +6.2% |
| 2011 | 71.1% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 63.8% | -10.3% |
| 2013 | 62.7% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 63.0% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 64.8% | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 65.1% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 65.2% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 65.6% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 64.4% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 66.3% | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 66.1% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 64.9% | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 67.5% | 65.2% | 69.3% | 6 |
| 2010s | 65.8% | 62.7% | 72.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.7% | 64.9% | 66.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More education data for Iceland
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0838 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Iceland?
- Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Iceland was 64.9% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 72.6% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.7% in 2013.
- How does Iceland rank for share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation?
- Iceland ranks 82nd out of 116 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Compensation for staff across all levels of education, both teaching and non-teaching, covers salaries, retirement contributions by employers, and additional benefits.