Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower gender in Ireland
Ireland: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower gender was 1.01 GPIA in 2023. ▼ Falling
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Ireland, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Ireland is 1.01 GPIA, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Ireland peaked at 1.13 GPIA in 1971 and was at its lowest, 0.9961 GPIA, in 2007.
That places Ireland 25th out of 132 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower gender in Ireland, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.13 GPIA | — |
| 1981 | 1.08 GPIA | -3.7% |
| 1991 | 1.06 GPIA | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 1.04 GPIA | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 0.9961 GPIA | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 1.02 GPIA | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 1.02 GPIA | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 1.01 GPIA | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 1.03 GPIA | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 1.02 GPIA | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 1.02 GPIA | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 1.01 GPIA | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 1.01 GPIA | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.02 GPIA | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 1.02 GPIA | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 1.02 GPIA | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 1.02 GPIA | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 1.02 GPIA | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 1.01 GPIA | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 1.01 GPIA | +0.2% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 1.01 GPIA is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.9935 GPIA, 1.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 1.01 GPIA is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.9903 GPIA, 1.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.13 GPIA | 1.13 GPIA | 1.13 GPIA | 1 |
| 1980s | 1.08 GPIA | 1.08 GPIA | 1.08 GPIA | 1 |
| 1990s | 1.06 GPIA | 1.06 GPIA | 1.06 GPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 1.02 GPIA | 0.9961 GPIA | 1.04 GPIA | 4 |
| 2010s | 1.02 GPIA | 1.01 GPIA | 1.03 GPIA | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.01 GPIA | 1.01 GPIA | 1.02 GPIA | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
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 lower secondary education or in Ireland?
- Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Ireland was 1.01 GPIA in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.13 GPIA in 1971.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9961 GPIA in 2007.
- How does Ireland rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
- Ireland ranks 25th out of 132 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release