Percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in in Ireland

Ireland: Percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in was 0.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
0.7%
Change on year
down 9.2%
World rank
157th
of 159 countries
All-time high
1.9%
in 2012
All-time low
0.6%
in 2020
Years of data
11
2012–2022

Percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in in Ireland, 2012–2022

0.511.522012201720222012: 1.9 %2013: 1.7 %2014: 1.7 %2015: 1.8 %2016: 1.5 %2017: 1.1 %2018: 0.709 %2019: 0.679 %2020: 0.629 %2021: 0.798 %2022: 0.725 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 0.7% for percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in in 2022.

The figure is down 9.2% on the previous year and down 62.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in in Ireland peaked at 1.9% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2020.

Ireland ranks 157th of 159 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.

Percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in public institutions, both sexes (%) in Ireland, 2012 to 2022.
Year % Change
2012 1.9%
2013 1.7% -9.0%
2014 1.7% +0.0%
2015 1.8% +2.0%
2016 1.5% -13.6%
2017 1.1% -27.3%
2018 0.7% -36.4%
2019 0.7% -4.3%
2020 0.6% -7.3%
2021 0.8% +26.7%
2022 0.7% -9.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 1.4% 0.7% 1.9% 8
2020s 0.7% 0.6% 0.8% 3

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 154 British Virgin Islands 1.7% compare
  2. 155 Hong Kong, China 1.6% compare
  3. 156 New Zealand 0.9% compare
  4. 158 Bahrain 0.6%
  5. 159 Guinea 0.3% compare

See the full ranking of 159 places →

More education data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in in Ireland?
Percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in in Ireland was 0.7% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 2012.
What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2020.
How does Ireland rank for percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in?
Ireland ranks 157th out of 159 countries with data for 2022.
Is percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 62.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-enrolment-in-early-childhood-education-programmes-in-public-institutions/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of enrolment in early childhood education programmes in public institutions, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
159 places, 2,249 data points, 1998–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release