Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in Iceland

Iceland: Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general was 82.0% in 2018. ▬ Flat

Latest (2018)
82.0%
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
156th
of 205 countries
All-time high
82.0%
in 2018
All-time low
71.7%
in 1981
Years of data
38
1971–2018

Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in Iceland, 1971–2018

0204060801971199420181971: 78.1 %1972: 78.1 %1975: 79.2 %1976: 78.5 %1977: 78.3 %1980: 74.3 %1981: 71.7 %1983: 72.2 %1986: 72.9 %1988: 73.9 %1989: 73.1 %1991: 78.5 %1992: 80.1 %1993: 80.6 %1994: 77.7 %1995: 79.6 %1996: 80.1 %1998: 80.4 %1999: 80.2 %2000: 79.5 %2001: 77.8 %2002: 77 %2003: 79 %2004: 77.7 %2005: 78.3 %2006: 78.3 %2007: 79.7 %2008: 79.3 %2009: 79.4 %2010: 78.6 %2011: 78.3 %2012: 78 %2013: 79 %2014: 78.9 %2015: 78.5 %2016: 79.1 %2017: 80.8 %2018: 82 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Iceland recorded 82.0% for share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in 2018. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.

The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in Iceland peaked at 82.0% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 71.7%, in 1981.

That places Iceland 156th out of 205 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in Iceland, year by year

Annual values for Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%) in Iceland, 1971 to 2018.
Year % Change
1971 78.1%
1972 78.1% -0.0%
1975 79.2% +1.5%
1976 78.5% -0.9%
1977 78.3% -0.2%
1980 74.3% -5.2%
1981 71.7% -3.6%
1983 72.2% +0.7%
1986 72.9% +1.0%
1988 73.9% +1.3%
1989 73.1% -1.1%
1991 78.5% +7.4%
1992 80.1% +2.0%
1993 80.6% +0.6%
1994 77.7% -3.6%
1995 79.6% +2.5%
1996 80.1% +0.6%
1998 80.4% +0.4%
1999 80.2% -0.3%
2000 79.5% -0.8%
2001 77.8% -2.2%
2002 77.0% -1.0%
2003 79.0% +2.6%
2004 77.7% -1.7%
2005 78.3% +0.8%
2006 78.3% +0.1%
2007 79.7% +1.7%
2008 79.3% -0.4%
2009 79.4% +0.0%
2010 78.6% -1.0%
2011 78.3% -0.3%
2012 78.0% -0.5%
2013 79.0% +1.4%
2014 78.9% -0.2%
2015 78.5% -0.4%
2016 79.1% +0.7%
2017 80.8% +2.1%
2018 82.0% +1.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 78.4% 78.1% 79.2% 5
1980s 73.0% 71.7% 74.3% 6
1990s 79.7% 77.7% 80.6% 8
2000s 78.6% 77.0% 79.7% 10
2010s 79.2% 78.0% 82.0% 9

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 153 France 82.4% compare
  2. 154 El Salvador 82.4% compare
  3. 155 Malta 82.3% compare
  4. 157 China 81.9% compare
  5. 158 Spain 81.2% compare
  6. 159 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 81.1% compare

See the full ranking of 250 places →

More reference data data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in Iceland?
Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in Iceland was 82.0% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 82.0% in 2018.
What is the lowest share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 71.7% in 1981.
How does Iceland rank for share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general?
Iceland ranks 156th out of 205 countries with data for 2018.
Is share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-all-students-in-secondary-education-enrolled-in-general-programmes-percent/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
250 places, 8,733 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in general programmes at the secondary education level, expressed as a percentage of the total number of students enrolled in all programmes (vocational and general) at the secondary level. General education is designed to develop learners’ general knowledge, skills and competencies and literacy and numeracy skills, often to prepare students for more advanced educational programmes at the same or higher ISCED levels and to lay the foundation for lifelong learning. General educational programmes are typically school- or college-based. General education includes educational programmes that are designed to prepare students for entry into vocational education, but that do not prepare for employment in a particular occupation or trade or class of occupations or trades, nor lead directly to a labour market relevant qualification.