Research Database

2 Menntun - Education

The education table contains core educational information at the individual level. For each individual, it includes 3 variables, covering years from 1990 onwards. Each record represents an individual and can be linked to other tables within the same project using projectspecific pseudoidentifiers. The dataset is subject to ongoing review, validation, and updates to ensure accuracy, consistency, and confidentiality. This dataset informs on the highest educational level attained by individuals and their field of education in the Icelandic society.

Taflan um menntun inniheldur helstu upplýsingar um menntun á einstaklingsstigi. Fyrir hvern einstakling eru þrjár breytur sem ná aftur til ársins 1990. Hver færsla táknar einstakling og hægt er að tengja hana við aðrar töflur innan sama verkefnis með því að nota verkefnisbundna gervigreind. Gagnasafnið er háð stöðugri endurskoðun, staðfestingu og uppfærslum til að tryggja nákvæmni, samræmi og trúnað. Þetta gagnasafn inniheldur upplýsingar um hæsta stig einstaklinga og svið menntunar í íslensku samfélagi.

Number of records in table:    18,791,734
Number of unique IDs included:    650,659

2.1 Svið hæstu menntunar/þjálfunar

Metadata

Variable ID	EDUC_ATTAINMENT_FIELD
Heiti IS	Svið hæstu menntunar/þjálfunar
Name (English)	Educational attainment - field
Data type	varchar
Grunnskrá - Primary Register	Menntunarskrá Hagstofu Íslands
Tegund töflu - Type of table	Einstaklingar
Tíðni - Frequency	Árleg
Tímabil frá - Time period from	1980
Lýsing - Description (IS)	Segir til um á hvaða sviði hæsta menntun einstaklings er samkvæmt ÍSNÁM2008. Sjá líka: https://hagstofa.is/utgafur/adferdir-og-flokkun/flokkanir/isnam2008/
Description	Indicates the field of highest education attained by an individual according to ISNÁM2008. See also: https://hagstofa.is/utgafur/adferdir-og-flokkun/flokkanir/isnam2008/
Kóði - Code (IS)	Sjá: https://hagstofas3bucket.hagstofa.is/hagstofan/media/public/4eda84b1-611d-4dc7-874b-6b17a31cc77f/pub_doc_wL1bFhx.pdf
Code	See: https://hagstofas3bucket.hagstofa.is/hagstofan/media/public/4eda84b1-611d-4dc7-874b-6b17a31cc77f/pub_doc_wL1bFhx.pdf

Summary

Total codes	Min year	Max year	Total records	Records with Missing values
553	1980	2023	18,791,734	2,227,674

	Total records per year and code
EDUC_ATTAINMENT_FIELD	2020	2021	2022	2023
	211,197	210,330	209,947	209,798
010a	10,274	10,141	9,989	9,880
010c	8,875	8,880	8,855	8,842
582b	6,767	6,798	6,808	6,877
340b	5,251	5,408	5,502	5,613
144a	5,228	5,225	5,243	5,276
723c	4,549	4,613	4,673	4,765
380a	4,479	4,601	4,719	4,838
522d	4,354	4,377	4,425	4,489
	4,331	4,305	4,257	4,229
Note:
Summary displays the top 10 codes from 2020 to 2023. Information available from 1980 to 2023.
Records with missing values are excluded in this table.

2.2 Stig hæstu menntunar/þjálfunar

Metadata

Variable ID	EDUC_ATTAINMENT_LEVEL
Heiti IS	Stig hæstu menntunar/þjálfunar
Name (English)	Educational attainment - level
Data type	varchar
Grunnskrá - Primary Register	Menntunarskrá Hagstofu Íslands
Tegund töflu - Type of table	Einstaklingar
Tíðni - Frequency	Árleg
Tímabil frá - Time period from	1980
Lýsing - Description (IS)	Hæsta menntunarstig sem einstaklingur er með samkvæmt ÍSMENNT2011 flokkunarkerfinu. Sjá líka: https://hagstofa.is/utgafur/utgafa/menntun/ismennt2011-flokkun-menntunarstodu/
Description	The highest level of education attained by an individual according to the ISMENNT2011 classification system. See also: https://statice.is/publications/publication/education/ismennt2011-classification-of-educational-attainment/
Kóði - Code (IS)	Sjá: https://hagstofas3bucket.hagstofa.is/hagstofan/media/public/624309dc-8e83-4284-bea4-4f853b99d2a0/pub_doc_OO8xjj7.pdf
Code	See: https://hagstofas3bucket.hagstofa.is/hagstofan/media/public/624309dc-8e83-4284-bea4-4f853b99d2a0/pub_doc_OO8xjj7.pdf

Summary

Total codes	Min year	Max year	Total records	Records with Missing values
31	1980	2023	18,791,734	0

	Total records per year and code
EDUC_ATTAINMENT_LEVEL	2020	2021	2022	2023
22	137,015	136,518	136,137	135,825
61	60,208	61,197	62,057	62,932
36	58,524	59,795	60,754	61,732
72	48,451	50,388	52,303	54,087
30	41,995	41,550	41,104	40,884
34	32,938	32,766	32,566	32,471
60	30,646	30,961	31,178	31,357
23	25,381	25,234	25,073	24,932
32	22,004	21,954	21,932	21,906
11	21,499	21,334	21,621	21,945
Note:
Summary displays the top 10 codes from 2020 to 2023. Information available from 1980 to 2023.

2.3 Uppspretta gagna hæstu menntunar / þjálfunar

Metadata

Variable ID	EDUC_ATTAINMENT_SOURCE
Heiti IS	Uppspretta gagna hæstu menntunar / þjálfunar
Name (English)	Data source for educational attainment
Data type	varchar
Grunnskrá - Primary Register	Menntunarskrá Hagstofu Íslands
Tegund töflu - Type of table	Einstaklingar
Tíðni - Frequency	Árleg
Tímabil frá - Time period from	1980
Lýsing - Description (IS)	Segir til um hvort að upplýsingar um hæstu menntun komi úr skrám eða séu tilreiknaðar Hagstofa safnar upplýsingum um menntun þeirra sem útskrifast úr íslenskum skólum árlega. Auk þess fær Hagstofa upplýsingar um menntun þeirra sem mennta sig innan Norðurlandanna á grundvelli gagnaskiptasamninga við Norðurlöndin. Gögn um þá sem mennta sig utan Íslands og Norðurlanda er ekki aflað með jafn kerfisbundnum hætti. Slíkar upplýsingar geta þó skilað sér í tengslum við gagnasafnanir í úrtaksrannsóknum eins og Lífskjararannsókn eða Vinnumarkaðsrannsókn. Einnig geta upplýsingar um menntun þessara aðila skilað sér ef skráning þeirra reynist nauðsynleg í tengslum við samskipti þeirra við stofnanir íslenskrar stjórnsýslu (til dæmis ef viðkomandi sækir um starf hjá ríkinu). Í þeim tilvikum sem engar staðfestar upplýsingar er að finna í gagnaskrám (S) Hagstofu um menntun fólks, fá þeir tilreiknað gildi (T). Tilreiknum byggir á forspárlíkani þar sem menntun er áætluð út frá breytum eins og aldri, atvinnugrein og ef starf krefst atvinnuréttandi. Ljóst er að eftir því sem lýðfræði þeirra sem búa á íslandi breytist ríkir meiri óvissa um réttmæti tilreiknunar.
Description	Indicates whether information on the highest level of education comes from records or is estimated. Statistics Iceland collects information on the education of individuals who graduate from Icelandic schools annually. Additionally, Statistics Iceland receives information on the education of those who study in the Nordic countries based on data exchange agreements with these countries. Data on individuals who study outside of Iceland and the Nordic countries is not gathered as systematically. However, such information may be obtained in connection with sample surveys, such as the Quality of Life Survey or the Labour Market Survey. Furthermore, information about the education of these individuals may become available if their registration is necessary for interactions with Icelandic public administration institutions (for example, if they apply for a job in the public sector). In cases where no confirmed information is available in the statistical records of Statistics Iceland regarding a person’s education, an imputed value (T) is assigned. This imputation is based on a predictive model where education is estimated using variables such as age, industry, and whether the job requires professional certification. It is clear that as the demographics of those residing in Iceland change, the accuracy of such imputations becomes more uncertain.
Kóði - Code (IS)	S=úr skrám T=tilreiknað
Code	S = of files T = estimated

Summary

Total codes	Min year	Max year	Total records	Records with Missing values
2	1980	2023	18,791,734	0

	Total records per year and code
EDUC_ATTAINMENT_SOURCE	2020	2021	2022	2023
S	313,800	316,265	318,323	320,530
T	261,323	263,019	264,979	266,832
Note:
Summary displays data from 2020 to 2023. Information available from 1980 to 2023.