Educational attainment rate … both post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland
Ireland: Educational attainment rate … both post-secondary non-tertiary was 63.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 63.3% for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in 2023. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 67.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland peaked at 63.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 1971.
That places Ireland 3rd out of 110 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate … both post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.6% | — |
| 1981 | 7.9% | +69.4% |
| 1991 | 13.6% | +72.4% |
| 2006 | 41.6% | +206.9% |
| 2007 | 43.1% | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 40.4% | -6.3% |
| 2009 | 43.2% | +6.8% |
| 2010 | 44.3% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 37.8% | -14.6% |
| 2015 | 52.0% | +37.6% |
| 2017 | 42.9% | -17.4% |
| 2022 | 61.7% | +43.5% |
| 2023 | 63.3% | +2.7% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 63.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 39.4%, 1.6× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 63.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.3%, 1.7× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Educational attainment rate … both post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +206.9% | 13.6% | 41.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 1 |
| 1980s | 7.9% | 7.9% | 7.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 13.6% | 13.6% | 13.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 42.1% | 40.4% | 43.2% | 4 |
| 2010s | 44.3% | 37.8% | 52.0% | 4 |
| 2020s | 62.5% | 61.7% | 63.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 1 Kazakhstan 79.0% compare
- 2 Canada 68.8% compare
- 4 Lithuania 63.2% compare
- 5 Singapore 63.1% compare
- 6 United Arab Emirates 57.0% 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 post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland?
- Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Ireland was 63.3% 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 63.3% in 2023.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 1971.
- How does Ireland rank for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary?
- Ireland ranks 3rd out of 110 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 67.5%. 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, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release