Enrolment in primary education, female (number) (primary female) in Ireland
Ireland: Enrolment in primary education, female (number) (primary female) was 270,411 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Enrolment in primary education, female in Ireland, 1971–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 270,411 for enrolment in primary education, female in 2022.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in primary education, female in Ireland peaked at 277,941 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 174,406, in 1997.
Ireland ranks 108th of 216 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Enrolment in primary education, female (number) (primary female) in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 195,700 | — |
| 1972 | 195,438 | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 197,300 | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 195,412 | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 196,744 | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 197,491 | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 197,984 | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 200,066 | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 201,936 | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 204,196 | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 205,447 | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 205,739 | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 205,815 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 204,895 | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 205,210 | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 205,236 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 205,993 | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 206,420 | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 206,780 | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 206,542 | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 203,506 | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 198,995 | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 195,500 | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 190,467 | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 185,213 | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 178,827 | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 174,406 | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 225,845 | +29.5% |
| 1999 | 221,566 | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 218,046 | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 215,176 | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 216,461 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 217,010 | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 218,359 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 220,229 | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 223,802 | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 230,970 | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 237,349 | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 243,513 | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 247,179 | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 249,186 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 253,027 | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 257,270 | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 261,632 | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 265,627 | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 269,716 | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 272,804 | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 275,444 | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 277,604 | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 277,941 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 273,551 | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 270,411 | -1.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 270,411 is above the median for high income countries, which is 117,728, 2.3× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 270,411 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 210,251, 1.3× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Enrolment in primary education, female (number) (primary female) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +29.5% | 174,406 | 225,845 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 197,563 | 195,412 | 201,936 | 9 |
| 1980s | 205,573 | 204,196 | 206,780 | 10 |
| 1990s | 198,087 | 174,406 | 225,845 | 10 |
| 2000s | 224,092 | 215,176 | 243,513 | 10 |
| 2010s | 262,949 | 247,179 | 277,604 | 10 |
| 2020s | 273,968 | 270,411 | 277,941 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- 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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in primary education, female in Ireland?
- Enrolment in primary education, female in Ireland was 270,411 in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in primary education, female recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 277,941 in 2020.
- What is the lowest enrolment in primary education, female recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 174,406 in 1997.
- How does Ireland rank for enrolment in primary education, female?
- Ireland ranks 108th out of 216 countries with data for 2022.
- Is enrolment in primary education, female rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. 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 Enrolment in primary education, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release