There were 44,758 students attending education at levels above compulsory education in Iceland in the autumn of 2024, an increase of 1,312 students from the previous year, or 3.0%. There were more students attending all levels except for the doctoral level, where there were 52 fewer students than in the previous year. At the upper secondary level, the number of students increased by 227 (1.0%), by 29 (1.9%) at the post-secondary non-tertiary level and by 1,108 (5.8%) at the tertiary level below the doctoral level. This is a turnaround from the previous year, when the number of students decreased at all levels except for the post-secondary non-tertiary level.
More female than male students at levels above compulsory education
More than 20,300 male students attended education above compulsory education and over 24,400 females. The number of males increased by 478 from the previous year (2.4%) and the number of females by 834 (3.5%). Males were 53% of students at the upper secondary level, 77% at the post-secondary non-tertiary level and 35% of students at the tertiary levels of education.
Almost 95% of 16-year-olds studied at the upper secondary level
In the autumn of 2024 94.7% of 16-year-olds were registered students at the upper secondary level, but the proportion was 94.8% in 2023. In 2019-2022 this rate was over 95%. A slightly lower proportion of 17 to 19-year-olds were registered students at the upper secondary level in the autumn of 2024 compared with 2023.
Foreign citizens were 44% of doctoral students
Foreign citizens were 9.0% of students above compulsory education in 2024, the highest proportion to date. The proportion was 8.2% in the autumn of 2023. The proportion of foreign citizens is highest at the doctoral level, 44.0% of students. Polish citizens were most numerous among the foreigners at all levels of education above compulsory education, over 650, but more than 200 students were citizens of the United States, the Philippines and Germany. When only counting foreign citizens at the doctoral level, citizens of the United States were most numerous, 35 in total. Only students who have an Icelandic ID number are counted.
The same trend can be observed when the background of students is considered. In the autumn of 2024 three out of four students had no foreign background, and that proportion has never been lower. At that time 10.5% of students were immigrants, never higher. At the doctoral level almost one-half of students were classified as immigrants, or 48.3%, while students with no foreign background were 45.6% of students.
One third of students at the upper secondary level are enrolled in vocational programmes
More than one out of every three students (34.9%) at the upper secondary level were enrolled in vocational programmes in the autumn of 2024, a slightly lower proportion than in the years 2021-2023. The share of students in vocational programmes increased from 2017 to 2023, when it was 35.2%. At the start of this century the proportion of students in vocational education was higher, the highest in 2003 when 38.5% of students at the upper secondary level were students in vocational programmes.
The proportion of students in vocational programmes has increased among males from 2017 to 44.3% in the autumn of 2024. The proportion was lower among females, or 24.2%.
About the data
Information is gathered directly from the schools as well as from the database INNA used by schools at the upper secondary level and refers to the number of students in the middle of October each year.
Statistics
Overview
Upper secondary schools
Universities