Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Ireland
Ireland: Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female was 84.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
84.5%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
68th
of 212 countries
All-time high
84.9%
in 2011
All-time low
64.9%
in 1976
Years of data
36
1976–2023
Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Ireland, 1976–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 84.5% for percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Ireland peaked at 84.9% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 64.9%, in 1976.
That places Ireland 68th out of 212 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 64.9% | — |
| 1977 | 72.4% | +11.5% |
| 1978 | 72.8% | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 73.0% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 73.9% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 73.8% | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 74.5% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 75.1% | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 75.5% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 75.7% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 76.0% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 76.2% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 76.3% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 76.3% | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 76.3% | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 76.6% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 76.9% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 77.0% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 77.3% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 77.9% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 77.9% | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 78.4% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 80.2% | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 84.8% | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 83.4% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 84.1% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 84.7% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 84.0% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 84.5% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 84.7% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 84.9% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 84.9% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 84.9% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 84.6% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 84.6% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 84.5% | -0.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 84.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 84.3%, 1.0× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 84.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 87.2%, 97% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 70.7% | 64.9% | 73.0% | 4 |
| 1980s | 75.3% | 73.8% | 76.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.3% | 76.3% | 84.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 84.2% | 83.4% | 84.7% | 6 |
| 2010s | 84.9% | 84.9% | 84.9% | 3 |
| 2020s | 84.5% | 84.5% | 84.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
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 teachers in primary education who are female in Ireland?
- Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Ireland was 84.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of teachers in primary education who are female recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 84.9% in 2011.
- What is the lowest percentage of teachers in primary education who are female recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.9% in 1976.
- How does Ireland rank for percentage of teachers in primary education who are female?
- Ireland ranks 68th out of 212 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of teachers in primary education who are female rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. 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 teachers in primary education who are female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release