Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland
Ireland: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 9.8% 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 9.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.3% on the previous year and down 25.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland peaked at 15.2% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 8.6%, in 2018.
That places Ireland 78th 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 | 15.2% | — |
| 1999 | 12.2% | -19.5% |
| 2000 | 12.9% | +5.9% |
| 2001 | 11.8% | -8.8% |
| 2002 | 10.7% | -8.9% |
| 2003 | 11.8% | +10.1% |
| 2004 | 12.8% | +8.6% |
| 2009 | 11.3% | -12.2% |
| 2010 | 12.8% | +13.7% |
| 2012 | 13.2% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 11.1% | -15.9% |
| 2014 | 10.3% | -7.0% |
| 2015 | 10.2% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 10.3% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 8.6% | -16.4% |
| 2019 | 9.7% | +12.5% |
| 2020 | 10.1% | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 9.5% | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 9.8% | +3.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.7% | 12.2% | 15.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.9% | 10.7% | 12.9% | 6 |
| 2010s | 10.8% | 8.6% | 13.2% | 8 |
| 2020s | 9.8% | 9.5% | 10.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- 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)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 548,873 (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.49 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.1053 units per person (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 270,411 (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 9.8% 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 15.2% in 1998.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.6% in 2018.
- How does Ireland rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Ireland ranks 78th 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 down 25.4%. 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 Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction 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