Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland
Ireland: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 8.4% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Latest (2022)
8.4%
Change on year
up 6.5%
World rank
18th
of 121 countries
All-time high
11.7%
in 2012
All-time low
5.7%
in 2013
Years of data
19
1998–2022
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 8.4%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of up 6.5% on the previous year and down 27.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland peaked at 11.7% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 2013.
That places Ireland 18th out of 121 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9.3% | — |
| 1999 | 9.8% | +5.1% |
| 2000 | 9.7% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 7.7% | -20.2% |
| 2002 | 7.2% | -7.0% |
| 2003 | 6.9% | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 7.0% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 6.6% | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 8.2% | +24.7% |
| 2012 | 11.7% | +42.1% |
| 2013 | 5.7% | -51.0% |
| 2014 | 5.8% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 8.3% | +43.2% |
| 2016 | 8.1% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 8.2% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 8.7% | +6.4% |
| 2020 | 8.5% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 7.9% | -7.0% |
| 2022 | 8.4% | +6.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.6% | 9.3% | 9.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.5% | 6.6% | 9.7% | 6 |
| 2010s | 8.1% | 5.7% | 11.7% | 8 |
| 2020s | 8.3% | 7.9% | 8.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 15 Bangladesh 9.5% compare
- 16 Argentina 9.1% compare
- 17 United States of America 8.7% compare
- 19 Germany 8.2% compare
- 20 Niger 8.1% compare
- 21 Luxembourg 8.0% compare
More education data for Ireland
- 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)
- 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)
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 8.4% 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 11.7% in 2012.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 2013.
- How does Ireland rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Ireland ranks 18th 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 down 27.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics 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