Educational attainment … non-immigrant background both post-secondary in Ireland
Ireland: Educational attainment … non-immigrant background both post-secondary was 60.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland, 2006–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 60.2% for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in 2023. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
The figure is up 4.4% on the previous year and up 29.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland peaked at 60.2% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 34.3%, in 2006.
Ireland ranks 2nd of 30 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Educational attainment … non-immigrant background both post-secondary in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 34.3% | — |
| 2007 | 36.4% | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 37.6% | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 40.1% | +6.8% |
| 2010 | 41.9% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 43.2% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 45.1% | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 46.5% | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 46.6% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 57.1% | +22.6% |
| 2022 | 57.7% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 60.2% | +4.4% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 60.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 38.2%, 1.6× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 60.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 38.6%, 1.6× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 37.1% | 34.3% | 40.1% | 4 |
| 2010s | 44.7% | 41.9% | 46.6% | 5 |
| 2020s | 58.4% | 57.1% | 60.2% | 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 post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland?
- Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland was 60.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 60.2% in 2023.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.3% in 2006.
- How does Ireland rank for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary?
- Ireland ranks 2nd out of 30 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.6%. 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 post-secondary non-tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, non-immigrant background, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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