Official entrance age to primary education in Ireland
Ireland: Official entrance age to primary education was 5 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
5
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
71st
of 73 countries
All-time high
6
in 1970
All-time low
4
in 1997
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Official entrance age to primary education in Ireland, 1970–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
In 2025, official entrance age to primary education in Ireland stood at 5.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to primary education in Ireland peaked at 6 in 1970 and was at its lowest, 4, in 1997.
That places Ireland 71st out of 73 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Official entrance age to primary education in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6 | — |
| 1971 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 4 | -33.3% |
| 1998 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1999 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 5 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 1980s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.6 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- 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)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to primary education in Ireland?
- Official entrance age to primary education in Ireland was 5 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest official entrance age to primary education recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1970.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to primary education recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 in 1997.
- How does Ireland rank for official entrance age to primary education?
- Ireland ranks 71st out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to primary education rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Official entrance age to primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).