Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in Ireland

Ireland: Enrolment in pre-primary education, female was 59,688 number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
59,688 number
Change on year
up 9.0%
World rank
108th
of 196 countries
All-time high
71,684 number
in 1985
All-time low
34,998 number
in 2015
Years of data
34
1971–2018

Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in Ireland, 1971–2018

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k1971199420181971: 64.0k number1972: 65.2k number1973: 65.9k number1974: 66.4k number1975: 64.3k number1976: 66.2k number1977: 68.9k number1978: 68.9k number1979: 67.7k number1980: 66.5k number1981: 66.6k number1982: 67.6k number1983: 69.2k number1984: 71.4k number1985: 71.7k number1986: 71.5k number1987: 70.5k number1988: 68.9k number1989: 65.8k number1990: 62.7k number1991: 61.5k number1992: 61.2k number1993: 60.0k number1994: 57.3k number1995: 55.4k number1996: 55.9k number1997: 56.1k number2012: 35.4k number2013: 38.3k number2014: 38.3k number2015: 35.0k number2016: 40.0k number2017: 54.8k number2018: 59.7k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for enrolment in pre-primary education, female in Ireland is 59,688 number, measured in 2018.

That represents a change of up 9.0% on the previous year and up 68.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in pre-primary education, female in Ireland peaked at 71,684 number in 1985 and was at its lowest, 34,998 number, in 2015.

That places Ireland 108th out of 196 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number) in Ireland, 1971 to 2018.
Year number Change
1971 64,000 number
1972 65,200 number +1.9%
1973 65,900 number +1.1%
1974 66,358 number +0.7%
1975 64,320 number -3.1%
1976 66,179 number +2.9%
1977 68,878 number +4.1%
1978 68,919 number +0.1%
1979 67,736 number -1.7%
1980 66,510 number -1.8%
1981 66,568 number +0.1%
1982 67,579 number +1.5%
1983 69,198 number +2.4%
1984 71,415 number +3.2%
1985 71,684 number +0.4%
1986 71,501 number -0.3%
1987 70,526 number -1.4%
1988 68,869 number -2.3%
1989 65,801 number -4.5%
1990 62,686 number -4.7%
1991 61,517 number -1.9%
1992 61,228 number -0.5%
1993 60,026 number -2.0%
1994 57,284 number -4.6%
1995 55,393 number -3.3%
1996 55,946 number +1.0%
1997 56,132 number +0.3%
2012 35,424 number -36.9%
2013 38,302 number +8.1%
2014 38,302 number +0.0%
2015 34,998 number -8.6%
2016 40,016 number +14.3%
2017 54,773 number +36.9%
2018 59,688 number +9.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 66,388 number 64,000 number 68,919 number 9
1980s 68,965 number 65,801 number 71,684 number 10
1990s 58,776 number 55,393 number 62,686 number 8
2010s 43,072 number 34,998 number 59,688 number 7

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 105 Gambia 64,617 number compare
  2. 106 Republic of Moldova 63,980 number compare
  3. 107 Burundi 60,893 number compare
  4. 109 New Zealand 55,419 number compare
  5. 110 Croatia 55,237 number compare
  6. 111 Jamaica 54,233 number compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More education data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in pre-primary education, female in Ireland?
Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in Ireland was 59,688 number in 2018, 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 number in 1985.
What is the lowest enrolment in pre-primary education, female recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 34,998 number in 2015.
How does Ireland rank for enrolment in pre-primary education, female?
Ireland ranks 108th out of 196 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in pre-primary education, female rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 68.5%. 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.

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Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-pre-primary-education-female-number/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
241 places, 7,204 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of female students enrolled in public and private pre-primary education institutions (ISCED 0.2) regardless of age. Within ISCED 0, early childhood educational development programmes are targeted at children aged 0 to 2 years; and pre-primary education programmes are targeted at children aged 3 years until the age to start ISCED 1.