Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland
Ireland: Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary was 68.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland, 2006–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland stood at 68.1%. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.1% on the previous year and up 69.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland peaked at 68.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 40.2%, in 2011.
Ireland ranks 2nd of 77 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 41.7% | — |
| 2007 | 42.9% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 45.8% | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 47.2% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 48.2% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 40.2% | -16.6% |
| 2015 | 55.7% | +38.6% |
| 2017 | 45.5% | -18.4% |
| 2022 | 65.4% | +43.9% |
| 2023 | 68.1% | +4.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 44.4% | 41.7% | 47.2% | 4 |
| 2010s | 47.4% | 40.2% | 55.7% | 4 |
| 2020s | 66.8% | 65.4% | 68.1% | 2 |
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 rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland?
- Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland was 68.1% 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 68.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.2% in 2011.
- How does Ireland rank for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary?
- Ireland ranks 2nd out of 77 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 69.5%. 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, urban, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release