Educational attainment, at least Bachelor's or equivalent, population in Ireland
Ireland: Educational attainment, at least Bachelor's or equivalent, population was 41.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment, at least Bachelor's or equivalent, population in Ireland, 2006–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.
Analysis
In 2023, educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population in Ireland stood at 41.9%. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of up 8.9% on the previous year and up 34.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population in Ireland peaked at 41.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 26.8%, in 2011.
Ireland ranks 2nd of 112 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Educational attainment, at least Bachelor's or equivalent, population in Ireland, year by year
| Year | cumulative | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 30.8% | — |
| 2007 | 33.8% | +9.9% |
| 2010 | 33.1% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 26.8% | -19.0% |
| 2014 | 31.1% | +15.7% |
| 2015 | 31.2% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 31.8% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 31.2% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 35.2% | +12.8% |
| 2019 | 35.5% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 37.2% | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 38.5% | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 38.4% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 41.9% | +8.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 32.3% | 30.8% | 33.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 32.0% | 26.8% | 35.5% | 8 |
| 2020s | 39.0% | 37.2% | 41.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 1 United Arab Emirates 52.7% compare
- 3 Luxembourg 41.9% compare
- 4 Switzerland 41.6% compare
- 5 Lithuania 41.3% compare
More education data for Ireland
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 42,162 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population in Ireland?
- Educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population in Ireland was 41.9% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 41.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.8% in 2011.
- How does Ireland rank for educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population?
- Ireland ranks 2nd out of 112 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Educational attainment, at least Bachelor's or equivalent, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed Bachelor's or equivalent.