Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in Ireland
Ireland: Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes was 102,720 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
102,720
Change on year
down 6.2%
World rank
118th
of 214 countries
All-time high
147,908
in 1986
All-time low
71,098
in 2015
Years of data
38
1971–2022
Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in Ireland, 1971–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 102,720 for enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in 2022.
That represents a change of down 6.2% on the previous year and up 42.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in Ireland peaked at 147,908 in 1986 and was at its lowest, 71,098, in 2015.
That places Ireland 118th out of 214 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.
Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 131,500 | — |
| 1972 | 134,000 | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 135,200 | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 135,951 | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 131,731 | -3.1% |
| 1976 | 135,783 | +3.1% |
| 1977 | 141,392 | +4.1% |
| 1978 | 141,454 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 139,278 | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 137,133 | -1.5% |
| 1981 | 137,533 | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 139,846 | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 142,501 | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 146,581 | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 147,686 | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 147,908 | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 145,576 | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 142,018 | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 135,923 | -4.3% |
| 1990 | 129,983 | -4.4% |
| 1991 | 127,512 | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 126,168 | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 123,711 | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 118,205 | -4.5% |
| 1995 | 114,363 | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 116,004 | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 115,569 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 72,347 | -37.4% |
| 2013 | 78,056 | +7.9% |
| 2014 | 78,056 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 71,098 | -8.9% |
| 2016 | 82,245 | +15.7% |
| 2017 | 112,646 | +37.0% |
| 2018 | 122,893 | +9.1% |
| 2019 | 124,569 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 121,355 | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 109,526 | -9.7% |
| 2022 | 102,720 | -6.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 136,254 | 131,500 | 141,454 | 9 |
| 1980s | 142,270 | 135,923 | 147,908 | 10 |
| 1990s | 121,439 | 114,363 | 129,983 | 8 |
| 2010s | 92,739 | 71,098 | 124,569 | 8 |
| 2020s | 111,200 | 102,720 | 121,355 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 548,873 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.49 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1053 units per person (2022)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 548,873 (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.49 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.1053 units per person (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 270,411 (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in Ireland?
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in Ireland was 102,720 in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 147,908 in 1986.
- What is the lowest enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 71,098 in 2015.
- How does Ireland rank for enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes?
- Ireland ranks 118th out of 214 countries with data for 2022.
- Is enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.0%. 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 Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release