Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Iceland

Iceland: Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of was 26.4% in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
26.4%
Change on year
down 3.9%
World rank
60th
of 115 countries
All-time high
38.0%
in 1999
All-time low
22.4%
in 2011
Years of data
19
1999–2017

Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Iceland, 1999–2017

0102030401999200820171999: 382000: 33.92001: 33.62002: 32.82003: 29.22004: 26.32005: 27.52006: 25.42007: 262008: 26.72009: 27.62010: 26.42011: 22.42012: 24.72013: 23.92014: 23.92015: 24.72016: 27.42017: 26.4

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2017, initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Iceland stood at 26.4%.

That represents a change of down 3.9% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Iceland peaked at 38.0% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 22.4%, in 2011.

Iceland ranks 60th of 115 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.

Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Iceland, year by year

Annual values for Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita in Iceland, 1999 to 2017.
Year Value Change
1999 38.0%
2000 33.9% -10.8%
2001 33.6% -0.9%
2002 32.8% -2.4%
2003 29.2% -10.9%
2004 26.3% -9.9%
2005 27.5% +4.5%
2006 25.4% -7.9%
2007 26.0% +2.5%
2008 26.7% +2.8%
2009 27.6% +3.3%
2010 26.4% -4.3%
2011 22.4% -15.1%
2012 24.7% +10.4%
2013 23.9% -3.5%
2014 23.9% -0.1%
2015 24.7% +3.6%
2016 27.4% +11.0%
2017 26.4% -3.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 38.0% 38.0% 38.0% 1
2000s 28.9% 25.4% 33.9% 10
2010s 25.0% 22.4% 27.4% 8

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 57 Serbia 27.0% compare
  2. 58 Poland 26.7% compare
  3. 59 Slovakia 26.4% compare
  4. 61 Romania 26.3% compare
  5. 62 Turkey 25.7% compare
  6. 63 New Zealand 25.5% compare

See the full ranking of 115 places →

More reference data data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Iceland?
Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Iceland was 26.4% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 38.0% in 1999.
What is the lowest initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 22.4% in 2011.
How does Iceland rank for initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of?
Iceland ranks 60th out of 115 countries with data for 2017.
Is initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. 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, published as part of Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/initial-government-funding-per-tertiary-student-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-per-capita/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
115 places, 1,387 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central, current and capital) initial government funding of education per student, which includes transfers paid (such as scholarships to students), but excludes transfers received, in this case international transfers to government for education (when foreign donors provide education sector budget support or other support integrated in the government budget). Calculation Method: Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure (current and capital) on a given level of education (primary, secondary, etc) minus international transfers to government for education, divided by the number of student enrolled at that level of education. This is then expressed as a share of GDP per capita. Limitations: In some instances data on total government expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. There are also cases where it may not be possible to separate international transfers to government from general government expenditure on education, in which cases they have not been subtracted in the formula. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/