Iceland: Secondary education, pupils (% female)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Iceland's secondary education, pupils (% female) fell 0.17 percentage points on 2016 (from 49.11% to 48.95%).

Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1976 to 2016), the average change was −0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.61 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below 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 1.15 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.93 percentage points in 1981. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 12% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2017, Iceland had the 31st highest value of the 63 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 2017 ranking

• Spain — 27th of 63: 48.99%
• Denmark — 28th of 63: 48.97%
• France — 29th of 63: 48.95%
• Canada — 31st of 63: 48.91%
• Slovenia — 32nd of 63: 48.88%
• Czechia — 33rd of 63: 48.87%

What this measures

Female pupils as a percentage of total pupils at secondary level includes enrollments in public and private schools.

Limitations: The percentage of female enrollment is limited in assessing gender parity, because it's affected by the gender composition of population. Ratio of female to male in enrollment rate provides a population adjusted measure of gender parity.

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

All 37 values

Secondary education, pupils (% female) in nearby economies

• Albania — 47.09% (2018)
• Andorra — 48.35% (2018)
• Armenia — 47.27% (2018)
• Austria — 47.66% (2017)
• Azerbaijan — 46.74% (2018)
• Belarus — 48.29% (2018)
• Belgium — 51.68% (2017)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 49.39% (2018)
• Bulgaria — 47.8% (2017)
• Croatia — 49.87% (2017)
• Cyprus

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 (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.52 (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 secondary education, pupils (% female)?

48.95% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 4.98 percentage points from 43.97% in 1971. The highest value was 50.68% in 2000 and the lowest 43.97% in 1971.

How does Iceland rank?

31st highest of 63 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in secondary education, pupils (% female) unusual for Iceland?

In 2017, Iceland's secondary education, pupils (% female) fell 0.17 percentage points on 2016 (from 49.11% to 48.95%). Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1976 to 2016), the average change was −0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.61 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.ENRL.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.