Iceland: Secondary education, vocational pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Iceland's secondary education, vocational pupils fell 9.4% on 2016 (from 7,467 to 6,768).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1973 to 2016), the average change was +1.4% and a typical year strayed about 5.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 15.4% in 1981 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.4% in 2017. 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 less than 1% 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 53rd highest value of the 61 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

• Estonia — 50th of 61: 19,102
• Luxembourg — 51st of 61: 16,067
• United Arab Emirates — 52nd of 61: 8,206
• Central African Republic — 54th of 61: 5,149
• Malta — 55th of 61: 4,981
• Cyprus — 56th of 61: 4,818

What this measures

Secondary vocational pupils are the number of secondary students enrolled in technical and vocational education programs, including teacher training.

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

All 39 values

Secondary education, vocational pupils in nearby economies

• Albania — 20,605 (2018)
• Andorra — 488 (2018)
• Armenia — 19,676 (2018)
• Austria — 238,161 (2017)
• Azerbaijan — 152,777 (2018)
• Belarus — 82,592 (2018)
• Belgium — 524,924 (2017)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 94,557 (2018)
• Bulgaria — 141,163 (2017)
• Croatia — 132,833 (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
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Iceland's secondary education, vocational pupils?

6,768 in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 33.49% from 5,070 in 1971 (0.63% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 8,017 in 2013 and the lowest 4,772 in 1974.

How does Iceland rank?

53rd highest of 61 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in secondary education, vocational pupils unusual for Iceland?

In 2017, Iceland's secondary education, vocational pupils fell 9.4% on 2016 (from 7,467 to 6,768). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1973 to 2016), the average change was +1.4% and a typical year strayed about 5.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.ENRL.VO, 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.

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