Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Ireland
Ireland: Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP was 9.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Ireland, 1998–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Ireland is 9.3%, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 6.3% on the previous year and down 49.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Ireland peaked at 20.0% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 9.3%, in 2021.
Ireland ranks 101st of 127 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 11.2% | — |
| 1999 | 10.7% | -3.9% |
| 2000 | 10.8% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 11.4% | +5.5% |
| 2002 | 11.8% | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 12.8% | +9.0% |
| 2004 | 13.6% | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 13.9% | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 14.3% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 15.3% | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 18.1% | +18.4% |
| 2009 | 20.0% | +10.6% |
| 2010 | 19.3% | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 18.5% | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 18.4% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 16.3% | -10.9% |
| 2014 | 14.9% | -8.9% |
| 2015 | 11.4% | -23.3% |
| 2016 | 11.7% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 10.1% | -13.8% |
| 2018 | 9.8% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 9.7% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 10.0% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 9.3% | -6.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.0% | 10.7% | 11.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 14.2% | 10.8% | 20.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.0% | 9.7% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.7% | 9.3% | 10.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 98 Kenya 9.7% compare
- 99 Tanzania, United Republic of 9.6% compare
- 100 Niger 9.5% compare
- 102 Trinidad and Tobago 9.2% compare
- 103 Lao People's Democratic Republic 9.2% compare
- 104 Comoros 9.1% compare
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 initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Ireland?
- Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Ireland was 9.3% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 20.0% in 2009.
- What is the lowest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.3% in 2021.
- How does Ireland rank for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp?
- Ireland ranks 101st out of 127 countries with data for 2021.
- Is initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.4%. 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 Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release