Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland
Ireland: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 25.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland, 1998–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland stood at 25.2%.
That represents a change of down 8.2% on the previous year and up 69.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland peaked at 29.7% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 14.9%, in 2012.
That places Ireland 71st out of 124 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 27.0% | — |
| 1999 | 26.6% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 27.3% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 25.8% | -5.4% |
| 2002 | 26.8% | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 27.0% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 29.7% | +10.0% |
| 2009 | 25.2% | -15.0% |
| 2010 | 23.8% | -5.8% |
| 2012 | 14.9% | -37.2% |
| 2013 | 21.6% | +45.0% |
| 2014 | 22.8% | +5.6% |
| 2015 | 24.0% | +5.1% |
| 2016 | 25.0% | +4.1% |
| 2018 | 26.7% | +7.0% |
| 2019 | 25.8% | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 26.6% | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 27.5% | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 25.2% | -8.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.8% | 26.6% | 27.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 27.0% | 25.2% | 29.7% | 6 |
| 2010s | 23.1% | 14.9% | 26.7% | 8 |
| 2020s | 26.4% | 25.2% | 27.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland?
- Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland was 25.2% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 29.7% in 2004.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.9% in 2012.
- How does Ireland rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Ireland ranks 71st out of 124 countries with data for 2022.
- Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 69.3%. 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 graduates from tertiary education graduating from Business, Administration and Law programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release