Iceland: School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Iceland's school enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) rose 0.0093 on 2022 (from 1.51 to 1.52).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +0.00644 and a typical year strayed about 0.02 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.08 in 1975 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.03 in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.00958 a year. A straight line explains 95% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 1.55 for 2026. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2021 to 2023 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.00574, against 0.01 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2023, Iceland had the 2nd highest value of the 36 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Iceland in the 2023 ranking

• St. Lucia — 1st of 36: 1.53
• Tonga — 3rd of 36: 1.51
• Argentina — 4th of 36: 1.45
• Tunisia — 5th of 36: 1.45

What this measures

Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in tertiary education is the ratio of women to men enrolled at tertiary level in public and private schools.

Limitations: The gross enrolment ratio is a general measure of participation in tertiary education. However, it does not account for variations in the duration of programs between countries or across different levels of education and fields of study. While it is somewhat standardized by measuring it relative to a 5-year age group for all countries, it may still underestimate participation, particularly in countries with underdeveloped tertiary education systems or where offerings are limited to initial tertiary programs, which are typically shorter than 5 years in duration.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 47 values

School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in nearby economies

• Albania — 1.24 (2024)
• Andorra — 1.09 (2024)
• Armenia — 1.28 (2024)
• Austria — 1.23 (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 1.22 (2024)
• Belarus — 1.14 (2024)
• Belgium — 1.27 (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 1.4 (2023)
• Bulgaria — 1.29 (2024)

More education data for Iceland

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 32,314 (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 98.22% (2023)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 76.52% (2023)
• Secondary education, pupils — 37,056 (2023)
• School enrollment, secondary (% gross) — 108.91% (2023)
• School enrollment, tertiary, female (% gross) — 104.2% (2023)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Iceland's school enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)?

1.52 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 320.91% from 0.36 in 1971 (2.8% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.52 in 2023 and the lowest 0.36 in 1971.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.ENR.TERT.FM.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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