Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Ireland
Ireland: Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary was 83.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Ireland, 1991–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 83.0% for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in 2023. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 19.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Ireland peaked at 83.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 37.1%, in 1992.
Ireland ranks 24th of 142 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Ireland, year by year
| Year | cumulative | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 41.7% | — |
| 1992 | 37.1% | -10.9% |
| 1993 | 39.1% | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 39.7% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 41.7% | +5.0% |
| 1996 | 44.4% | +6.4% |
| 1997 | 43.7% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 55.0% | +25.7% |
| 2004 | 56.3% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 66.2% | +17.6% |
| 2007 | 66.5% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 62.9% | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 64.1% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 66.6% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 66.4% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 67.8% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 69.4% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 73.2% | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 73.4% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 73.6% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 70.8% | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 75.3% | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 75.9% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 77.6% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 79.7% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 80.3% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 83.0% | +3.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 41.1% | 37.1% | 44.4% | 7 |
| 2000s | 61.8% | 55.0% | 66.5% | 6 |
| 2010s | 71.2% | 66.4% | 75.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.1% | 77.6% | 83.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- 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 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 18.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 96.48 (2022)
- School enrollment, primary 96.5% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Ireland?
- Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Ireland was 83.0% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 83.0% in 2023.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.1% in 1992.
- How does Ireland rank for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary?
- Ireland ranks 24th out of 142 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.6%. 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 completed upper secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed upper secondary education.