Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Ireland

Ireland: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 0.5% in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
0.5%
Change on year
up 9.0%
World rank
129th
of 150 countries
All-time high
6.1%
in 1997
All-time low
0.0%
in 1980
Years of data
35
1971–2018

Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Ireland, 1971–2018

02461971199420181971: 5.3 %1972: 5 %1973: 1.6 %1974: 0.427 %1975: 0.121 %1976: 0.223 %1977: 0.703 %1978: 0.628 %1980: 0 %1982: 0.675 %1991: 5.1 %1992: 2.5 %1995: 0.893 %1996: 4.5 %1997: 6.1 %1998: 3.8 %1999: 1.1 %2000: 1.6 %2001: 2 %2002: 2.2 %2003: 2.1 %2004: 1.4 %2005: 1.3 %2006: 1.3 %2007: 1 %2008: 1.2 %2009: 1.1 %2010: 0.691 %2011: 1.4 %2012: 0.43 %2014: 0.192 %2015: 0.303 %2016: 0.371 %2017: 0.492 %2018: 0.537 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2018, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Ireland stood at 0.5%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.0% on the previous year and down 56.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Ireland peaked at 6.1% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1980.

That places Ireland 129th out of 150 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, both sexes (%) in Ireland, 1971 to 2018.
Year % Change
1971 5.3%
1972 5.0% -6.4%
1973 1.6% -67.1%
1974 0.4% -74.1%
1975 0.1% -71.7%
1976 0.2% +84.1%
1977 0.7% +215.3%
1978 0.6% -10.7%
1980 0.0% -100.0%
1982 0.7%
1991 5.1% +658.5%
1992 2.5% -50.4%
1995 0.9% -64.8%
1996 4.5% +400.2%
1997 6.1% +36.4%
1998 3.8% -36.9%
1999 1.1% -71.5%
2000 1.6% +47.8%
2001 2.0% +23.7%
2002 2.2% +12.1%
2003 2.1% -7.7%
2004 1.4% -30.2%
2005 1.3% -12.8%
2006 1.3% +1.0%
2007 1.0% -20.8%
2008 1.2% +21.0%
2009 1.1% -7.2%
2010 0.7% -39.0%
2011 1.4% +105.3%
2012 0.4% -69.6%
2014 0.2% -55.3%
2015 0.3% +57.2%
2016 0.4% +22.6%
2017 0.5% +32.7%
2018 0.5% +9.0%

Ireland compared with similar countries

  • Ireland's 0.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.8%, 31% of the median. (60 countries reporting)
  • Ireland's 0.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.2%, 45% of the median. (46 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1991 +658.5% 0.7% 5.1%
1996 +400.2% 0.9% 4.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.8% 0.1% 5.3% 8
1980s 0.3% 0.0% 0.7% 2
1990s 3.4% 0.9% 6.1% 7
2000s 1.5% 1.0% 2.2% 10
2010s 0.6% 0.2% 1.4% 8

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 126 Denmark 0.6% compare
  2. 127 United Arab Emirates 0.6% compare
  3. 128 Hong Kong, China 0.6% compare
  4. 130 Seychelles 0.5% compare
  5. 131 Norway 0.5% compare
  6. 132 Spain 0.4% compare

See the full ranking of 195 places →

More education data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Ireland?
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Ireland was 0.5% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 6.1% in 1997.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1980.
How does Ireland rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
Ireland ranks 129th out of 150 countries with data for 2018.
Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 56.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-adolescents-of-lower-secondary-school-age-both-sexes-percent/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
195 places, 3,656 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of adolescents of official lower secondary school age who are not enrolled in lower secondary school expressed as a percentage of the population of official lower secondary school age.