Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland
Ireland: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 27.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland, 1998–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland is 27.4%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.8% on the previous year and up 86.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland peaked at 29.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 14.7%, in 2012.
Ireland ranks 51st of 122 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 26.5% | — |
| 1999 | 25.9% | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 26.5% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 23.8% | -10.3% |
| 2002 | 25.6% | +7.8% |
| 2003 | 25.5% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 28.2% | +10.7% |
| 2009 | 26.7% | -5.2% |
| 2010 | 25.1% | -5.9% |
| 2012 | 14.7% | -41.4% |
| 2013 | 23.3% | +58.4% |
| 2014 | 22.8% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 25.4% | +11.4% |
| 2016 | 26.2% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 28.9% | +10.3% |
| 2019 | 28.1% | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 28.6% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 29.4% | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 27.4% | -6.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.2% | 25.9% | 26.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 26.1% | 23.8% | 28.2% | 6 |
| 2010s | 24.3% | 14.7% | 28.9% | 8 |
| 2020s | 28.5% | 27.4% | 29.4% | 3 |
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 percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland?
- Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland was 27.4% 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 29.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.7% in 2012.
- How does Ireland rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Ireland ranks 51st out of 122 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 86.1%. 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 Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Business, Administration and Law programmes, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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