Educational attainment rate, completed … Bachelor rural both in Ireland
Ireland: Educational attainment rate, completed … Bachelor rural both was 35.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent in Ireland, 2007–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 35.2% for educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in 2023. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.6% on the previous year and up 51.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in Ireland peaked at 35.2% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 21.1%, in 2011.
That places Ireland 4th out of 84 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed … Bachelor rural both in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 24.7% | — |
| 2011 | 21.1% | -14.8% |
| 2014 | 23.2% | +9.9% |
| 2015 | 23.9% | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 24.2% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 27.6% | +8.5% |
| 2019 | 27.8% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 29.8% | +7.0% |
| 2021 | 29.8% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 31.5% | +5.9% |
| 2023 | 35.2% | +11.6% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 35.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.3%, 1.7× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 35.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 17.4%, 2.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 24.7% | 24.7% | 24.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 24.7% | 21.1% | 27.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 31.6% | 29.8% | 35.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 1 Luxembourg 37.1% compare
- 2 United Kingdom 36.8% compare
- 3 Belgium 36.2% compare
- 5 Switzerland 34.6% compare
- 6 Lithuania 28.9% compare
- 7 Netherlands 26.7% compare
More education data for Ireland
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.47 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.19 (2022)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 32,531 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,942 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 52,745 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 49,975 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 456,625 (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 548,873 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.49 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in Ireland?
- Educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in Ireland was 35.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 35.2% in 2023.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.1% in 2011.
- How does Ireland rank for educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent?
- Ireland ranks 4th out of 84 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release