Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) in Ireland
Ireland: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) was 112,690 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in Ireland, 1971–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2022, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in Ireland stood at 112,690.
That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and up 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in Ireland peaked at 115,294 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 18,734, in 1971.
Ireland ranks 85th of 195 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 18,734 | — |
| 1972 | 19,279 | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 19,194 | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 20,251 | +5.5% |
| 1976 | 30,332 | +49.8% |
| 1977 | 28,780 | -5.1% |
| 1978 | 28,972 | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 28,545 | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 29,369 | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 32,498 | +10.7% |
| 1982 | 35,739 | +10.0% |
| 1983 | 37,689 | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 36,869 | -2.2% |
| 1985 | 38,290 | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 39,916 | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 41,277 | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 42,714 | +3.5% |
| 1989 | 45,173 | +5.8% |
| 1990 | 46,591 | +3.1% |
| 1991 | 48,856 | +4.9% |
| 1992 | 53,540 | +9.6% |
| 1993 | 56,212 | +5.0% |
| 1994 | 60,825 | +8.2% |
| 1995 | 61,552 | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 63,371 | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 65,084 | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 67,465 | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 70,237 | +4.1% |
| 2000 | 73,707 | +4.9% |
| 2001 | 75,442 | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 79,123 | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 80,402 | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 84,374 | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 84,060 | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 83,455 | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 85,306 | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 81,723 | -4.2% |
| 2009 | 84,126 | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 92,371 | +9.8% |
| 2011 | 94,768 | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 94,666 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 98,806 | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 100,880 | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 105,368 | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 106,007 | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 108,958 | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 111,047 | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 110,597 | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 110,616 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 115,294 | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 112,690 | -2.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 112,690 is above the median for high income countries, which is 71,144, 1.6× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 112,690 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 128,518, 88% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +49.8% | 20,251 | 30,332 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 24,261 | 18,734 | 30,332 | 8 |
| 1980s | 37,953 | 29,369 | 45,173 | 10 |
| 1990s | 59,373 | 46,591 | 70,237 | 10 |
| 2000s | 81,172 | 73,707 | 85,306 | 10 |
| 2010s | 102,347 | 92,371 | 111,047 | 10 |
| 2020s | 112,867 | 110,616 | 115,294 | 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 tertiary education, all programmes, male in Ireland?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in Ireland was 112,690 in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 115,294 in 2021.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 18,734 in 1971.
- How does Ireland rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male?
- Ireland ranks 85th out of 195 countries with data for 2022.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.0%. 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 tertiary education, all programmes, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release