Educational attainment rate … rate short-cycle tertiary rural in Ireland
Ireland: Educational attainment rate … rate short-cycle tertiary rural was 50.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Ireland, 1993–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Ireland is 50.8%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.4% on the previous year and up 37.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Ireland peaked at 50.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 12.9%, in 1993.
That places Ireland 3rd out of 89 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate … rate short-cycle tertiary rural in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 12.9% | — |
| 1994 | 13.4% | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 14.2% | +5.9% |
| 1996 | 16.5% | +16.4% |
| 1997 | 17.2% | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 19.6% | +13.7% |
| 2003 | 20.5% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 22.4% | +9.0% |
| 2005 | 23.6% | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 26.5% | +12.5% |
| 2007 | 28.6% | +7.8% |
| 2008 | 30.3% | +5.9% |
| 2009 | 32.2% | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 34.6% | +7.4% |
| 2011 | 30.9% | -10.7% |
| 2012 | 34.7% | +12.4% |
| 2013 | 36.9% | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 35.8% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 37.8% | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 37.9% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 36.6% | -3.4% |
| 2018 | 39.4% | +7.7% |
| 2019 | 39.9% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 42.9% | +7.5% |
| 2021 | 43.6% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 46.9% | +7.6% |
| 2023 | 50.8% | +8.4% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 50.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 28.3%, 1.8× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 50.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 27.5%, 1.8× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.8% | 12.9% | 17.2% | 5 |
| 2000s | 25.4% | 19.6% | 32.2% | 8 |
| 2010s | 36.4% | 30.9% | 39.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.0% | 42.9% | 50.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 1 Israel 61.2% compare
- 2 Uzbekistan 51.8% compare
- 4 United Kingdom 50.6% compare
- 5 Russia 48.8% compare
- 6 Canada 43.8% 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 short-cycle tertiary education in Ireland?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Ireland was 50.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 50.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.9% in 1993.
- How does Ireland rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Ireland ranks 3rd out of 89 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.7%. 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 short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release