There have never been as many pupils in compulsory education in Iceland as in the autumn of 2021, or 46,859. The number of pupils increased by 171 from the previous year, or by 0.4%. The main explanation for the increase is the number of migrants to Iceland.
Data on the number of pupils in compulsory schools by background are now published for the first time. The data go back to the autumn of 2006. During that time the number of pupils without foreign background has decreased from over 37,900 to just under 34,700; from 84.5% of pupils to 74.0%. On the other hand, the number of pupils with foreign background has increased, the largest increase being in the number of second generation immigrants, i.e. those who were born in Iceland with both parents being immigrants. Their number increased from 230 in 2006 to more than 2,600 in 2021. In addition, the number of immigrants has increased from just under 1,000 to almost 2,400 during the same period.
The number of pupils with a foreign mother tongue has increased year by year. In the autumn of 2021, 5,810 pupils in Icelandic compulsory schools had a foreign mother tongue, or 12.4% of pupils, an increase of almost 200 pupils from the previous year. It should be kept in mind that some of these pupils also speak Icelandic as their mother tongue.
There were 174 compulsory schools operating in Iceland in the 2021-2022 school year, one more than in the previous year.
About the data
These data come from an annual data collection on compulsory schools in October.
Information on the background of pupils is derived from population data and background is classified into six groups. Immigrants are those who were born abroad with both parents having a foreign background. Second generation immigrants are those who were born in Iceland but both parents are immigrants. Information is also published on pupils born in Iceland having one foreign parent, pupils born abroad with Icelandic background and pupils born abroad with one foreign parent. Finally, those who do not have a foreign background, which is the largest group in compulsory schools.