Inequality in education in Ireland
Ireland: Inequality in education was 0.0255 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0255
Change on year
down 15.7%
World rank
166th
of 184 countries
All-time high
0.0555
in 2012
All-time low
0.0255
in 2023
Years of data
14
2010–2023
Inequality in education in Ireland, 2010–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, inequality in education in Ireland stood at 0.0255. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is down 15.7% on the previous year and down 48.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in education in Ireland peaked at 0.0555 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.0255, in 2023.
That places Ireland 166th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Inequality in education in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.049 | — |
| 2011 | 0.0542 | +10.6% |
| 2012 | 0.0555 | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 0.0492 | -11.3% |
| 2014 | 0.0336 | -31.6% |
| 2015 | 0.0329 | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 0.0342 | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 0.0329 | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 0.032 | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 0.0336 | +5.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0268 | -20.4% |
| 2021 | 0.0286 | +6.6% |
| 2022 | 0.0303 | +6.1% |
| 2023 | 0.0255 | -15.7% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 0.0255 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.0476, 54% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 0.0255 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.0317, 81% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.0407 | 0.032 | 0.0555 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0278 | 0.0255 | 0.0303 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.47 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.19 (2022)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is inequality in education in Ireland?
- Inequality in education in Ireland was 0.0255 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality in education recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0555 in 2012.
- What is the lowest inequality in education recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0255 in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for inequality in education?
- Ireland ranks 166th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in education rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).