Which has higher primary education, duration, Ireland or Small states?

Ireland, at 8 years against 6 years in Small states as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and Small states?

56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Primary education, duration (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Ireland vs Small states: Primary education, duration (years)

Ireland

8 years

in 2025

Small states

6 years

in 2025

Ireland rank

1st

Small states rank

2nd

Primary education, duration (years) over time

Ireland
Small states

How they compare

Ireland currently reports 8 years against 6 years in Small states, a difference of 2 years.

That makes Ireland's figure about 1.3 times Small states's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Small states ahead.

Ireland ranks 1st and Small states ranks 2nd of 210 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 4 and Small states in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Ireland	Small states	Difference	Ahead
1970s	6 years	6.45 years	0.45 years	Small states
1980s	6 years	6.15 years	0.15 years	Small states
1990s	6.6 years	6.15 years	0.45 years	Ireland
2000s	8 years	6.2 years	1.8 years	Ireland
2010s	8 years	6 years	2 years	Ireland
2020s	8 years	6 years	2 years	Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher primary education, duration, Ireland or Small states?: Ireland, at 8 years against 6 years in Small states as of 2025.
What is the difference in primary education, duration between Ireland and Small states?: 2 years, with Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and Small states?: 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
How do Ireland and Small states rank globally for primary education, duration?: Ireland ranks 1st and Small states ranks 2nd of 210 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Primary education, duration (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Ireland vs Small states: Primary education, duration. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 24 October 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/primary-education-duration-years/ireland/small-states/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/primary-education-duration-years/ireland/small-states/">Ireland vs Small states: Primary education, duration</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Primary education, duration (years)
Unit: years
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 256 places, 14,114 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed: 15 October 2026

Primary duration refers to the number of grades (years) in primary school.