Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Ireland
Ireland: Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education was 10 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
10
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
22nd
of 73 countries
All-time high
10
in 2000
All-time low
8
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Ireland, 1998–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 10 for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Ireland peaked at 10 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 8, in 1998.
Ireland ranks 22nd of 73 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 8 | — |
| 1999 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 10 | +25.0% |
| 2001 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 10 | +0.0% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 10 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10, 1.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 10 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10, 1.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 2 |
| 2000s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 2010s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 2020s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 22 Spain 10 compare
- 22 Andorra 10 compare
- 22 France 10 compare
- 22 Algeria 10 compare
- 22 Lithuania 10 compare
- 22 Lebanon 10 compare
- 22 Oman 10 compare
- 22 Jordan 10 compare
- 22 Luxembourg 10 compare
- 22 Denmark 10 compare
- 22 Slovakia 10 compare
- 22 Romania 10 compare
- 22 Norway 10 compare
- 22 Palestine, State of 10 compare
- 22 Iceland 10 compare
- 22 San Marino 10 compare
- 22 Hungary 10 compare
- 22 Liechtenstein 10 compare
- 22 Djibouti 10 compare
- 22 Switzerland 10 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 number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Ireland?
- Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Ireland was 10 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 10 in 2000.
- What is the lowest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 8 in 1998.
- How does Ireland rank for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education?
- Ireland ranks 22nd out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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