Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of in Ireland
Ireland: Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of was 3.5% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of in Ireland, 2010–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of in Ireland is 3.5%, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.9% on the previous year and down 44.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of in Ireland peaked at 6.5% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 2021.
That places Ireland 65th out of 70 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 6.5% | — |
| 2011 | 6.2% | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 6.2% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 5.7% | -7.1% |
| 2014 | 5.2% | -8.5% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | -22.7% |
| 2016 | 4.0% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 4.0% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 3.8% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 3.5% | -7.9% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 3.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.9%, 59% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 3.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.5%, 63% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5.0% | 3.8% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 3.5% | 3.8% | 2 |
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 expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of in Ireland?
- Expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of in Ireland was 3.5% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 6.5% in 2010.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 2021.
- How does Ireland rank for expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of?
- Ireland ranks 65th out of 70 countries with data for 2021.
- Is expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.6%. 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 Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release