Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland
Ireland: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 12.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland, 1998–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 12.7% for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in 2022.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and up 226.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland peaked at 15.8% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 2012.
That places Ireland 24th out of 121 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
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 | 8.4% | — |
| 1999 | 12.2% | +45.3% |
| 2000 | 14.1% | +15.7% |
| 2001 | 14.9% | +5.1% |
| 2002 | 15.8% | +6.0% |
| 2003 | 15.8% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 12.7% | -19.6% |
| 2009 | 6.8% | -46.4% |
| 2010 | 5.6% | -17.5% |
| 2012 | 3.9% | -30.5% |
| 2013 | 8.4% | +115.9% |
| 2014 | 9.2% | +9.3% |
| 2015 | 10.8% | +17.4% |
| 2016 | 11.5% | +6.4% |
| 2018 | 12.9% | +12.5% |
| 2019 | 12.7% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 13.7% | +8.0% |
| 2021 | 12.8% | -7.0% |
| 2022 | 12.7% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.3% | 8.4% | 12.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 13.3% | 6.8% | 15.8% | 6 |
| 2010s | 9.4% | 3.9% | 12.9% | 8 |
| 2020s | 13.1% | 12.7% | 13.7% | 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 12.7% 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 15.8% in 2003.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 2012.
- How does Ireland rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Ireland ranks 24th out of 121 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 226.7%. 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 Information and Communication Technologies programmes, male (%). 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