Government expenditure on education, constant US$ in Ireland
Ireland: Government expenditure on education, constant US$ was 15,608 millions in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
15,608 millions
Change on year
up 5.8%
World rank
34th
of 174 countries
All-time high
15,608 millions
in 2021
All-time low
1,740 millions
in 1971
Years of data
49
1971–2021
Government expenditure on education, constant US$ in Ireland, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 15,608 millions for government expenditure on education, constant us$ in 2021. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
The figure is up 5.8% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, constant us$ in Ireland peaked at 15,608 millions in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1,740 millions, in 1971.
Ireland ranks 34th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government expenditure on education, constant US$ in Ireland, year by year
| Year | millions | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1,740 millions | — |
| 1972 | 1,852 millions | +6.5% |
| 1973 | 1,969 millions | +6.3% |
| 1974 | 2,097 millions | +6.5% |
| 1976 | 2,285 millions | +9.0% |
| 1977 | 2,926 millions | +28.1% |
| 1978 | 3,126 millions | +6.8% |
| 1979 | 3,362 millions | +7.6% |
| 1980 | 3,488 millions | +3.7% |
| 1981 | 3,881 millions | +11.3% |
| 1982 | 3,733 millions | -3.8% |
| 1983 | 3,763 millions | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 3,808 millions | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 3,901 millions | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 3,923 millions | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 4,282 millions | +9.2% |
| 1988 | 4,088 millions | -4.5% |
| 1989 | 4,064 millions | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 4,303 millions | +5.9% |
| 1991 | 4,560 millions | +6.0% |
| 1992 | 4,932 millions | +8.2% |
| 1993 | 5,176 millions | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 5,552 millions | +7.3% |
| 1995 | 5,715 millions | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 5,988 millions | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 6,522 millions | +8.9% |
| 1999 | 6,950 millions | +6.6% |
| 2000 | 7,601 millions | +9.4% |
| 2001 | 7,917 millions | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 8,420 millions | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 8,885 millions | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 10,116 millions | +13.8% |
| 2005 | 10,782 millions | +6.6% |
| 2006 | 11,391 millions | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 12,440 millions | +9.2% |
| 2008 | 13,754 millions | +10.6% |
| 2009 | 14,722 millions | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 14,707 millions | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 14,267 millions | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 14,052 millions | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 13,162 millions | -6.3% |
| 2014 | 13,026 millions | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 12,424 millions | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 12,695 millions | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 12,896 millions | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 13,566 millions | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 13,932 millions | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 14,752 millions | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 15,608 millions | +5.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2,420 millions | 1,740 millions | 3,362 millions | 8 |
| 1980s | 3,893 millions | 3,488 millions | 4,282 millions | 10 |
| 1990s | 5,522 millions | 4,303 millions | 6,950 millions | 9 |
| 2000s | 10,603 millions | 7,601 millions | 14,722 millions | 10 |
| 2010s | 13,473 millions | 12,424 millions | 14,707 millions | 10 |
| 2020s | 15,180 millions | 14,752 millions | 15,608 millions | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- 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)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, constant us$ in Ireland?
- Government expenditure on education, constant us$ in Ireland was 15,608 millions in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, constant us$ recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 15,608 millions in 2021.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, constant us$ recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,740 millions in 1971.
- How does Ireland rank for government expenditure on education, constant us$?
- Ireland ranks 34th out of 174 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government expenditure on education, constant us$ rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on education, constant US$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release