Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Iceland
Iceland: Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate was 1.54 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.54 live births per woman
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
160th
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.26 live births per woman
in 1960
All-time low
1.54 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Iceland, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
In 2023, women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Iceland stood at 1.54 live births per woman. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Iceland peaked at 4.26 live births per woman in 1960 and was at its lowest, 1.54 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Iceland 160th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Iceland, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.85 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 3.72 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1952 | 3.79 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1953 | 3.93 live births per woman | +3.8% |
| 1954 | 3.91 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1955 | 4.04 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 1956 | 4.11 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1957 | 4.17 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1958 | 4.07 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1959 | 4.21 live births per woman | +3.5% |
| 1960 | 4.26 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1961 | 3.91 live births per woman | -8.1% |
| 1962 | 3.98 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 1963 | 3.98 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 3.87 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1965 | 3.72 live births per woman | -3.9% |
| 1966 | 3.58 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1967 | 3.28 live births per woman | -8.3% |
| 1968 | 3.06 live births per woman | -6.7% |
| 1969 | 2.98 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 1970 | 2.81 live births per woman | -5.7% |
| 1971 | 2.92 live births per woman | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 3.08 live births per woman | +5.8% |
| 1973 | 2.94 live births per woman | -4.7% |
| 1974 | 2.66 live births per woman | -9.5% |
| 1975 | 2.64 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 2.52 live births per woman | -4.5% |
| 1977 | 2.32 live births per woman | -8.0% |
| 1978 | 2.35 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 2.49 live births per woman | +5.7% |
| 1980 | 2.48 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 2.34 live births per woman | -5.7% |
| 1982 | 2.27 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 2.25 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 2.08 live births per woman | -7.3% |
| 1985 | 1.94 live births per woman | -6.8% |
| 1986 | 1.94 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 2.07 live births per woman | +6.9% |
| 1988 | 2.26 live births per woman | +9.1% |
| 1989 | 2.21 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1990 | 2.3 live births per woman | +4.3% |
| 1991 | 2.2 live births per woman | -4.6% |
| 1992 | 2.21 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 2.22 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 2.14 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1995 | 2.08 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 2.11 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 2.04 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 2.04 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 2 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 2.07 live births per woman | +3.7% |
| 2001 | 1.96 live births per woman | -5.6% |
| 2002 | 1.94 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 1.99 live births per woman | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 2.04 live births per woman | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 2.05 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 2.08 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 2.09 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 2.16 live births per woman | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 2.23 live births per woman | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 2.19 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 2.02 live births per woman | -7.7% |
| 2012 | 2.03 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 1.94 live births per woman | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 1.93 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 1.81 live births per woman | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 1.74 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 1.71 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 1.74 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 1.72 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 1.82 live births per woman | +5.8% |
| 2022 | 1.59 live births per woman | -12.6% |
| 2023 | 1.54 live births per woman | -3.1% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 1.54 live births per woman is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 1.54 live births per woman is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.49 live births per woman, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.98 live births per woman | 3.72 live births per woman | 4.21 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.66 live births per woman | 2.98 live births per woman | 4.26 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.67 live births per woman | 2.32 live births per woman | 3.08 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.18 live births per woman | 1.94 live births per woman | 2.48 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.14 live births per woman | 2 live births per woman | 2.3 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.06 live births per woman | 1.94 live births per woman | 2.23 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.88 live births per woman | 1.71 live births per woman | 2.19 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.67 live births per woman | 1.54 live births per woman | 1.82 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 158 Malaysia 1.55 live births per woman compare
- 159 Isle of Man 1.55 live births per woman compare
- 161 Liechtenstein 1.54 live births per woman compare
- 162 Trinidad and Tobago 1.53 live births per woman compare
- 163 Cayman Islands 1.53 live births per woman compare
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 women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Iceland?
- Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Iceland was 1.54 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 4.26 live births per woman in 1960.
- What is the lowest women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.54 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate?
- Iceland ranks 160th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.