Ireland vs OECD members: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes

Ireland
19.76 years
in 2018
OECD members
16.33 years
in 2019
Ireland rank
2nd
OECD members rank
6th

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes over time

  • Ireland
  • OECD members
05101520197019942019

How they compare

Ireland currently reports 19.76 years against 16.33 years in OECD members, a difference of 3.43 years.

That makes Ireland's figure about 1.2 times OECD members's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 47 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Ireland ahead.

Ireland ranks 2nd and OECD members ranks 6th of 183 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 4 and OECD members in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Ireland OECD members Difference Ahead
1970s 11.53 years 11.34 years 0.1878 years Ireland
1980s 12.04 years 12.37 years 0.3243 years OECD members
1990s 13.63 years 13.59 years 0.0419 years Ireland
2000s 16.95 years 14.71 years 2.24 years Ireland
2010s 18.44 years 15.9 years 2.54 years Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes, Ireland or OECD members?
Ireland, at 19.76 years against 16.33 years in OECD members as of 2018.
What is the difference in school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes between Ireland and OECD members?
3.43 years, with Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and OECD members?
47 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2018.
How do Ireland and OECD members rank globally for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
Ireland ranks 2nd and OECD members ranks 6th of 183 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Ireland vs OECD members: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/school-life-expectancy-primary-to-tertiary-both-sexes-years/ireland/oecd-members/

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About this data

Indicator
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years)
Unit
years
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
228 places, 7,038 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Expected years of schooling is the number of years a child of school entrance age is expected to spend at school, or university, including years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrolment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education.