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 25.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
25.5%
Change on year
up 5.6%
World rank
11th
of 110 countries
All-time high
25.8%
in 2021
All-time low
15.8%
in 2009
Years of data
30
1990–2023
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 25.5% for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in 2023.
That represents a change of up 5.6% on the previous year and up 47.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Ireland peaked at 25.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 15.8%, in 2009.
That places Ireland 11th out of 110 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
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 | 17.4% | — |
| 1991 | 17.7% | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 17.8% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 18.0% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 18.2% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 18.9% | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 19.9% | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 19.8% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 18.8% | -5.2% |
| 2003 | 21.9% | +16.8% |
| 2004 | 19.0% | -13.3% |
| 2005 | 19.1% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 19.3% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 16.4% | -15.0% |
| 2008 | 16.1% | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 15.8% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 16.5% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 16.6% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 17.0% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 17.3% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 17.0% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 16.5% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 16.4% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 19.5% | +18.8% |
| 2018 | 23.0% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | 23.5% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 22.2% | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 25.8% | +16.0% |
| 2022 | 24.2% | -6.1% |
| 2023 | 25.5% | +5.6% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 25.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 17.9%, 1.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 25.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.7%, 1.5× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.5% | 17.4% | 19.9% | 8 |
| 2000s | 18.3% | 15.8% | 21.9% | 8 |
| 2010s | 18.3% | 16.4% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.4% | 22.2% | 25.8% | 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 25.5% 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 25.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.8% in 2009.
- How does Ireland rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Ireland ranks 11th out of 110 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 47.5%. 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, 15-64 years old, both sexes (%). 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