Australia vs Ireland: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
Australia
50.7%
in 2024
Ireland
55.1%
in 2023
Australia rank
7th
Ireland rank
4th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- Australia
- Ireland
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 55.1% against 50.7% in Australia, a difference of 4.4%.
That makes Ireland's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 22 shared years of data; in 2002 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 7th and Ireland ranks 4th of 102 countries.
Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33.1% | 35.2% | 2.1% | Ireland |
| 2010s | 40.7% | 41.9% | 1.2% | Ireland |
| 2020s | 45.9% | 51.9% | 5.9% | 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 55.1% against 50.7% in Australia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Australia and Ireland?
- 4.4%, 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 7th and Ireland ranks 4th of 102 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, male (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release