Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in Ireland
Ireland: Enrolment in pre-primary education, female was 49,975 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in Ireland, 1971–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 49,975 for enrolment in pre-primary education, female in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.7% on the previous year and up 41.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in pre-primary education, female in Ireland peaked at 71,684 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 34,998, in 2015.
That places Ireland 115th out of 208 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, female in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 64,000 | — |
| 1972 | 65,200 | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 65,900 | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 66,358 | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 64,320 | -3.1% |
| 1976 | 66,179 | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 68,878 | +4.1% |
| 1978 | 68,919 | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 67,736 | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 66,510 | -1.8% |
| 1981 | 66,568 | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 67,579 | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 69,198 | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 71,415 | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 71,684 | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 71,501 | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 70,526 | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 68,869 | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 65,801 | -4.5% |
| 1990 | 62,686 | -4.7% |
| 1991 | 61,517 | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 61,228 | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 60,026 | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 57,284 | -4.6% |
| 1995 | 55,393 | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 55,946 | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 56,132 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 35,424 | -36.9% |
| 2013 | 38,302 | +8.1% |
| 2014 | 38,302 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 34,998 | -8.6% |
| 2016 | 40,016 | +14.3% |
| 2017 | 54,773 | +36.9% |
| 2018 | 59,688 | +9.0% |
| 2019 | 60,666 | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 59,165 | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 53,013 | -10.4% |
| 2022 | 49,975 | -5.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 66,388 | 64,000 | 68,919 | 9 |
| 1980s | 68,965 | 65,801 | 71,684 | 10 |
| 1990s | 58,776 | 55,393 | 62,686 | 8 |
| 2010s | 45,271 | 34,998 | 60,666 | 8 |
| 2020s | 54,051 | 49,975 | 59,165 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2022)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in pre-primary education, female in Ireland?
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in Ireland was 49,975 in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in pre-primary education, female recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 71,684 in 1985.
- What is the lowest enrolment in pre-primary education, female recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 34,998 in 2015.
- How does Ireland rank for enrolment in pre-primary education, female?
- Ireland ranks 115th out of 208 countries with data for 2022.
- Is enrolment in pre-primary education, female rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.1%. 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, female (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