Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Ireland
Ireland: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal was 18.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Ireland, 1990–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 18.4% for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in 2023. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.2% on the previous year and up 110.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Ireland peaked at 18.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 1990.
Ireland ranks 13th of 103 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.6% | — |
| 1991 | 3.1% | +17.9% |
| 1992 | 3.6% | +16.8% |
| 1993 | 3.9% | +7.4% |
| 1994 | 4.5% | +14.7% |
| 1995 | 4.9% | +9.4% |
| 1996 | 5.6% | +13.9% |
| 1997 | 6.1% | +8.6% |
| 2002 | 9.8% | +61.6% |
| 2003 | 12.0% | +22.0% |
| 2004 | 9.3% | -22.4% |
| 2005 | 10.3% | +11.0% |
| 2006 | 11.8% | +14.7% |
| 2007 | 10.3% | -12.8% |
| 2008 | 9.5% | -8.2% |
| 2009 | 8.1% | -14.5% |
| 2010 | 8.2% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 8.4% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 8.7% | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 8.8% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 8.5% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 8.0% | -6.3% |
| 2016 | 7.7% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 10.9% | +42.9% |
| 2018 | 15.7% | +43.2% |
| 2019 | 15.5% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 13.8% | -11.1% |
| 2021 | 17.2% | +25.3% |
| 2022 | 15.2% | -11.9% |
| 2023 | 18.4% | +21.2% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 18.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.5%, 1.9× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 18.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 8.4%, 2.2× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.3% | 2.6% | 6.1% | 8 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 8.1% | 12.0% | 8 |
| 2010s | 10.0% | 7.7% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.2% | 13.8% | 18.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 32,531 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,942 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 52,745 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 49,975 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 456,625 (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 548,873 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.49 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1053 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Ireland?
- Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Ireland was 18.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 18.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 1990.
- How does Ireland rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Ireland ranks 13th out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
- Is participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 110.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 25-54 years old, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release