Number of primary education enrolments in Ireland
Ireland: Number of primary education enrolments was 548,873 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
548,873
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
37th
of 73 countries
All-time high
570,381
in 2020
All-time low
358,830
in 1997
Years of data
52
1971–2022
Number of primary education enrolments in Ireland, 1971–2022
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 548,873 for number of primary education enrolments in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and up 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of primary education enrolments in Ireland peaked at 570,381 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 358,830, in 1997.
That places Ireland 37th out of 73 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Number of primary education enrolments in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 399,700 | — |
| 1972 | 399,560 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 403,700 | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 399,894 | -0.9% |
| 1975 | 402,219 | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 404,818 | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 406,432 | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 410,402 | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 414,624 | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 418,247 | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 419,998 | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 420,871 | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 421,539 | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 420,444 | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 420,665 | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 420,236 | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 422,150 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 423,402 | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 423,662 | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 422,396 | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 416,747 | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 408,567 | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 402,226 | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 391,998 | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 380,983 | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 367,689 | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 358,830 | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 465,186 | +29.6% |
| 1999 | 456,564 | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 449,638 | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 443,617 | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 445,947 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 447,618 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 450,413 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 454,060 | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 461,588 | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 475,836 | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 486,921 | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 498,838 | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 506,400 | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 511,466 | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 518,223 | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 527,768 | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 536,471 | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 544,856 | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 553,585 | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 559,151 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 564,304 | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 568,495 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 570,381 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 557,157 | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 548,873 | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 404,594 | 399,560 | 414,624 | 9 |
| 1980s | 421,121 | 418,247 | 423,662 | 10 |
| 1990s | 407,119 | 358,830 | 465,186 | 10 |
| 2000s | 461,448 | 443,617 | 498,838 | 10 |
| 2010s | 539,072 | 506,400 | 568,495 | 10 |
| 2020s | 558,804 | 548,873 | 570,381 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of primary education enrolments in Ireland?
- Number of primary education enrolments in Ireland was 548,873 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest number of primary education enrolments recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 570,381 in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of primary education enrolments recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 358,830 in 1997.
- How does Ireland rank for number of primary education enrolments?
- Ireland ranks 37th out of 73 countries with data for 2022.
- Is number of primary education enrolments rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Number of primary education enrolments. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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