Research Database

2 Education

The education table contains core educational information at the individual level. For each individual, it includes 3 variables, covering the years 1990–2022. Each record represents an individual and can be linked to other tables within the same project using project‑specific 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.

Number of records in table:    18,069,634
Number of unique IDs included:    636,822

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
547	1980	2022	18,069,634	2,131,862

	Total records per year and code
EDUC_ATTAINMENT_FIELD	2019	2020	2021	2022
	209,309	207,288	206,678	206,541
010a	10,199	10,236	10,094	9,922
010c	8,715	8,835	8,814	8,749
582b	6,666	6,729	6,759	6,769
144a	5,256	5,242	5,246	5,265
340b	5,133	5,228	5,385	5,478
723c	4,452	4,523	4,586	4,646
	4,439	4,321	4,173	4,021
380a	4,358	4,448	4,568	4,684
	4,339	4,314	4,288	4,240
Note:
Summary displays the top 10 codes from 2019 to 2022. Information available from 1980 to 2022.
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	2022	18,069,634	0

	Total records per year and code
EDUC_ATTAINMENT_LEVEL	2019	2020	2021	2022
22	135,721	134,660	134,255	134,055
61	58,612	59,707	60,655	61,490
36	56,148	57,934	59,052	59,876
72	46,129	48,164	50,084	51,960
30	42,066	41,166	40,695	40,253
34	32,679	32,677	32,499	32,289
60	29,786	30,219	30,546	30,765
23	24,918	24,856	24,694	24,513
32	21,782	21,844	21,791	21,738
11	21,456	20,877	20,952	21,362
Note:
Summary displays the top 10 codes from 2019 to 2022. Information available from 1980 to 2022.

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	2022	18,069,634	0

	Total records per year and code
EDUC_ATTAINMENT_SOURCE	2019	2020	2021	2022
S	311,142	313,851	316,331	318,391
T	252,661	253,870	255,490	257,390
Note:
Summary displays data from 2019 to 2022. Information available from 1980 to 2022.