Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ireland

Ireland: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 1.3% in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
1.3%
Change on year
up 96.8%
World rank
142nd
of 181 countries
All-time high
1.3%
in 2022
All-time low
0.1%
in 2014
Years of data
21
2001–2022

Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ireland, 2001–2022

00.511.52001201120222001: 0.722 %2002: 0.81 %2003: 0.605 %2004: 0.475 %2005: 0.54 %2006: 0.437 %2007: 0.398 %2008: 0.373 %2009: 0.31 %2010: 0.326 %2011: 0.461 %2012: 0.155 %2014: 0.077 %2015: 0.113 %2016: 0.103 %2017: 0.18 %2018: 0.203 %2019: 0.409 %2020: 0.184 %2021: 0.676 %2022: 1.3 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2022, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ireland stood at 1.3%. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.

That represents a change of up 96.8% on the previous year and up 760.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ireland peaked at 1.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2014.

Ireland ranks 142nd of 181 countries on this measure, 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 children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (%) in Ireland, 2001 to 2022.
Year % Change
2001 0.7%
2002 0.8% +12.1%
2003 0.6% -25.2%
2004 0.5% -21.6%
2005 0.5% +13.7%
2006 0.4% -19.1%
2007 0.4% -8.9%
2008 0.4% -6.4%
2009 0.3% -16.7%
2010 0.3% +5.2%
2011 0.5% +41.3%
2012 0.2% -66.5%
2014 0.1% -50.2%
2015 0.1% +47.0%
2016 0.1% -9.0%
2017 0.2% +74.9%
2018 0.2% +12.4%
2019 0.4% +102.0%
2020 0.2% -55.0%
2021 0.7% +267.5%
2022 1.3% +96.8%

Ireland compared with similar countries

  • Ireland's 1.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.8%, 76% of the median. (69 countries reporting)
  • Ireland's 1.3% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.4%, 93% of the median. (49 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower 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
2021 +267.5% 0.2% 0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.5% 0.3% 0.8% 9
2010s 0.2% 0.1% 0.5% 9
2020s 0.7% 0.2% 1.3% 3

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 139 Slovenia 1.4% compare
  2. 140 Antigua and Barbuda 1.4% compare
  3. 141 Morocco 1.4% compare
  4. 143 Austria 1.3% compare
  5. 144 Russian Federation 1.3% compare
  6. 145 Tonga 1.3% compare

See the full ranking of 181 places →

More education data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ireland?
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ireland was 1.3% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 2022.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2014.
How does Ireland rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
Ireland ranks 142nd out of 181 countries with data for 2022.
Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 760.2%. 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 children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-5/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
181 places, 3,180 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release