Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Iceland
Iceland: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 7.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Iceland, 1990–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 7.3% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2022.
The figure is down 11.2% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Iceland peaked at 8.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 1990.
That places Iceland 14th out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.3% | 4.3% | 6.8% | 7 |
| 2000s | 7.1% | 6.4% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.4% | 6.8% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.0% | 7.3% | 8.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 11 Mauritania 7.6% compare
- 12 Bolivia 7.5% compare
- 13 Sweden 7.3% compare
- 15 Montserrat 7.2% compare
- 16 Venezuela 6.9% compare
- 17 Kyrgyzstan 6.8% compare
More reference data data for Iceland
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0053 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.54 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.54 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.54 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.972 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.63 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 84.98 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 81.79 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.42 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate 1.21 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Iceland?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Iceland was 7.3% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 8.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 1990.
- How does Iceland rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Iceland ranks 14th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.