Statizoid

Official entrance age to pre primary education in Ireland

Ireland: Official entrance age to pre primary education was 3 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
3
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
56th
of 217 countries
All-time high
4
in 1970
All-time low
3
in 2017
Years of data
56
1970–2025

Official entrance age to pre primary education in Ireland, 1970–2025

01234197019972025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, official entrance age to pre primary education in Ireland stood at 3. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.

That represents a change of down 25.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, official entrance age to pre primary education in Ireland peaked at 4 in 1970 and was at its lowest, 3, in 2017.

That places Ireland 56th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.

Official entrance age to pre primary education in Ireland, year by year

Year Value Change
1970 4 —
1971 4 +0.0%
1972 4 +0.0%
1973 4 +0.0%
1974 4 +0.0%
1975 4 +0.0%
1976 4 +0.0%
1977 4 +0.0%
1978 4 +0.0%
1979 4 +0.0%
1980 4 +0.0%
1981 4 +0.0%
1982 4 +0.0%
1983 4 +0.0%
1984 4 +0.0%
1985 4 +0.0%
1986 4 +0.0%
1987 4 +0.0%
1988 4 +0.0%
1989 4 +0.0%
1990 4 +0.0%
1991 4 +0.0%
1992 4 +0.0%
1993 4 +0.0%
1994 4 +0.0%
1995 4 +0.0%
1996 4 +0.0%
1997 4 +0.0%
1998 4 +0.0%
1999 4 +0.0%
2000 4 +0.0%
2001 4 +0.0%
2002 4 +0.0%
2003 4 +0.0%
2004 4 +0.0%
2005 4 +0.0%
2006 4 +0.0%
2007 4 +0.0%
2008 4 +0.0%
2009 4 +0.0%
2010 4 +0.0%
2011 4 +0.0%
2012 4 +0.0%
2013 4 +0.0%
2014 4 +0.0%
2015 4 +0.0%
2016 4 +0.0%
2017 3 -25.0%
2018 3 +0.0%
2019 3 +0.0%
2020 3 +0.0%
2021 3 +0.0%
2022 3 +0.0%
2023 3 +0.0%
2024 3 +0.0%
2025 3 +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4 4 4 10
1980s 4 4 4 10
1990s 4 4 4 10
2000s 4 4 4 10
2010s 3.7 3 4 10
2020s 3 3 3 6

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See the full ranking of 223 places →

More education data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is official entrance age to pre primary education in Ireland?
Official entrance age to pre primary education in Ireland was 3 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest official entrance age to pre primary education recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 4 in 1970.
What is the lowest official entrance age to pre primary education recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 3 in 2017.
How does Ireland rank for official entrance age to pre primary education?
Ireland ranks 56th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
Is official entrance age to pre primary education rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. 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 Official entrance age to pre primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Official entrance age to pre primary education in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/official-entrance-age-to-pre-primary-education/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Official entrance age to pre primary education
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
223 places, 12,020 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed