Statizoid

Ireland vs United States of America: Average years of schooling

Ireland
13.74 years
in 2020
United States of America
13.32 years
in 2020
Ireland rank
1st
United States of America rank
4th

Average years of schooling over time

  • Ireland
  • United States of America
051015187019452020

How they compare

Ireland currently reports 13.74 years against 13.32 years in United States of America, a difference of 0.42 years.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was United States of America ahead.

Ireland ranks 1st and United States of America ranks 4th of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 1 and United States of America in 15.

Head to head by decade

Decade Ireland United States of America Difference Ahead
1870s 0.8 years 4.42 years 3.62 years United States of America
1880s 1.06 years 5.03 years 3.97 years United States of America
1890s 1.4 years 5.74 years 4.34 years United States of America
1900s 1.82 years 6.55 years 4.73 years United States of America
1910s 2.37 years 6.87 years 4.5 years United States of America
1920s 3.1 years 7.38 years 4.28 years United States of America
1930s 4.09 years 8.12 years 4.03 years United States of America
1940s 5.43 years 8.8 years 3.38 years United States of America
1950s 6.57 years 8.94 years 2.37 years United States of America
1960s 7.19 years 10.03 years 2.83 years United States of America
1970s 8.42 years 11.41 years 2.99 years United States of America
1980s 10.03 years 12.31 years 2.29 years United States of America
1990s 10.72 years 12.69 years 1.97 years United States of America
2000s 11.41 years 13.05 years 1.64 years United States of America
2010s 13.01 years 13.27 years 0.255 years United States of America
2020s 13.74 years 13.32 years 0.42 years Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher average years of schooling, Ireland or United States of America?
Ireland, at 13.74 years against 13.32 years in United States of America as of 2020.
What is the difference in average years of schooling between Ireland and United States of America?
0.42 years, with Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and United States of America?
31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Ireland and United States of America rank globally for average years of schooling?
Ireland ranks 1st and United States of America ranks 4th of 111 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Average years of schooling. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Ireland vs United States of America: Average years of schooling. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/mean-years-of-schooling-long-run/ireland/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Average years of schooling
Unit
years
Source
Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
111 places, 3,441 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed

Average years of formal education for individuals aged 15-64.