Australia vs Ireland: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
Australia
53.4%
in 2024
Ireland
56.1%
in 2023
Australia rank
6th
Ireland rank
5th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- Australia
- Ireland
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 56.1% against 53.4% in Australia, a difference of 2.7%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 22 shared years of data; in 2002 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 6th and Ireland ranks 5th of 101 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 1 and Ireland in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33.4% | 33.9% | 0.5% | Ireland |
| 2010s | 43.9% | 42.6% | 1.3% | Australia |
| 2020s | 49.9% | 52.6% | 2.7% | Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education, Australia or Ireland?
- Ireland, at 56.1% against 53.4% in Australia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Australia and Ireland?
- 2.7%, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Ireland?
- 22 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2023.
- How do Australia and Ireland rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Australia ranks 6th and Ireland ranks 5th of 101 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release