Percentage of graduates from tertiary … graduates Services both sexes in Ireland
Ireland: Percentage of graduates from tertiary … graduates Services both sexes was 3.5% 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 3.5%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 35.6% on the previous year and down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Ireland peaked at 6.0% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 2004.
That places Ireland 61st out of 124 countries with data for 2022, putting it 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 … graduates Services both sexes in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 4.5% | — |
| 1999 | 3.3% | -26.6% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | -11.9% |
| 2001 | 6.0% | +104.5% |
| 2002 | 3.9% | -35.9% |
| 2003 | 2.8% | -27.5% |
| 2004 | 2.6% | -5.2% |
| 2009 | 4.3% | +63.3% |
| 2010 | 5.1% | +18.0% |
| 2012 | 3.9% | -22.7% |
| 2013 | 5.6% | +43.1% |
| 2014 | 5.3% | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 4.7% | -10.6% |
| 2016 | 5.1% | +8.0% |
| 2018 | 4.1% | -19.8% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | -9.0% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | +8.5% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | +34.5% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -35.6% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 3.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.5%, 1.0× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 3.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.0%, 70% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.9% | 3.3% | 4.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 2.6% | 6.0% | 6 |
| 2010s | 4.7% | 3.7% | 5.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 4.3% | 3.5% | 5.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.47 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.19 (2022)
- 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)
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 3.5% 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 6.0% in 2001.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2004.
- How does Ireland rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Ireland ranks 61st 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 11.7%. 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 Services 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