Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland
Ireland: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 24.2% 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 24.2%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland peaked at 25.2% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 10.1%, in 1998.
Ireland ranks 22nd of 122 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 | 10.1% | — |
| 1999 | 13.0% | +28.1% |
| 2000 | 12.1% | -6.4% |
| 2001 | 13.8% | +14.0% |
| 2002 | 15.8% | +14.6% |
| 2003 | 17.9% | +13.0% |
| 2004 | 19.3% | +7.6% |
| 2009 | 20.0% | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 23.4% | +17.2% |
| 2012 | 23.6% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 20.1% | -14.6% |
| 2014 | 21.9% | +8.9% |
| 2015 | 23.9% | +8.9% |
| 2016 | 25.2% | +5.4% |
| 2018 | 23.7% | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 23.5% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 22.4% | -4.7% |
| 2021 | 23.3% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 24.2% | +3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.5% | 10.1% | 13.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 16.5% | 12.1% | 20.0% | 6 |
| 2010s | 23.2% | 20.1% | 25.2% | 8 |
| 2020s | 23.3% | 22.4% | 24.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 19 Switzerland 24.8% compare
- 20 El Salvador 24.7% compare
- 21 Bosnia and Herzegovina 24.7% compare
- 23 Niger 24.2% compare
- 24 New Zealand 24.1% compare
- 25 Uruguay 24.1% compare
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 24.2% 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 25.2% in 2016.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.1% in 1998.
- How does Ireland rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Ireland ranks 22nd 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 2.5%. 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 Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Health and Welfare programmes, female (%). 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