Official entrance age to compulsory education in Ireland
Ireland: Official entrance age to compulsory education was 6 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
21st
of 200 countries
All-time high
6
in 1998
All-time low
6
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Ireland, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to compulsory education in Ireland is 6, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Ireland peaked at 6 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6, in 1998.
Ireland ranks 21st of 200 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6 | — |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 21 Albania 6 compare
- 21 Algeria 6 compare
- 21 Andorra 6 compare
- 21 Armenia 6 compare
- 21 Australia 6 compare
- 21 Azerbaijan 6 compare
- 21 Bahrain 6 compare
- 21 Bangladesh 6 compare
- 21 Belarus 6 compare
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- 21 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 compare
- 21 Brunei Darussalam 6 compare
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- 21 Canada 6 compare
- 21 Cape Verde 6 compare
- 21 Central African Republic 6 compare
- 21 Chad 6 compare
- 21 Chile 6 compare
- 21 China 6 compare
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- 21 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6 compare
- 21 Denmark 6 compare
- 21 Djibouti 6 compare
- 21 Timor-Leste 6 compare
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- 21 Eritrea 6 compare
- 21 Eswatini 6 compare
- 21 Finland 6 compare
- 21 Gabon 6 compare
- 21 Georgia 6 compare
- 21 Germany 6 compare
- 21 Guinea-Bissau 6 compare
- 21 Guyana 6 compare
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- 21 Hong Kong, China 6 compare
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- 21 India 6 compare
- 21 Iran, Islamic Republic of 6 compare
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- 21 Japan 6 compare
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- 21 Sierra Leone 6 compare
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- 21 Slovenia 6 compare
- 21 Somalia 6 compare
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- 21 Syrian Arab Republic 6 compare
- 21 Thailand 6 compare
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- 21 Türkiye 6 compare
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More education data for Ireland
- 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)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 96.48 (2022)
- School enrollment, primary 96.5% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Ireland?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Ireland was 6 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1998.
- How does Ireland rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Ireland ranks 21st out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Official entrance age to compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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