Share of the population with at least some formal education in Ireland
Ireland: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 99.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
99.6%
World rank
12th
of 111 countries
All-time high
99.6%
in 2020
All-time low
18.1%
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Ireland, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with at least some formal education in Ireland is 99.6%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Ireland peaked at 99.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 18.1%, in 1870.
Ireland ranks 12th of 111 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 18.1% | — |
| 1875 | 20.7% | +14.4% |
| 1880 | 23.4% | +13.0% |
| 1885 | 26.2% | +12.0% |
| 1890 | 30.1% | +14.9% |
| 1895 | 34.4% | +14.3% |
| 1900 | 38.5% | +11.9% |
| 1905 | 43.3% | +12.5% |
| 1910 | 47.6% | +9.9% |
| 1915 | 52.6% | +10.5% |
| 1920 | 57.6% | +9.5% |
| 1925 | 62.7% | +8.9% |
| 1930 | 67.9% | +8.3% |
| 1935 | 75.6% | +11.3% |
| 1940 | 84.2% | +11.4% |
| 1945 | 90.3% | +7.2% |
| 1950 | 94.8% | +5.0% |
| 1955 | 95.5% | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 96.0% | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 96.6% | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 96.7% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 96.7% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 98.1% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 98.3% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 98.3% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 95.9% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 95.8% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 99.4% | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 99.5% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 99.6% | +0.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 99.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 99.0%, 1.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 99.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 99.0%, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 19.4% | 18.1% | 20.7% | 2 |
| 1880s | 24.8% | 23.4% | 26.2% | 2 |
| 1890s | 32.2% | 30.1% | 34.4% | 2 |
| 1900s | 40.9% | 38.5% | 43.3% | 2 |
| 1910s | 50.1% | 47.6% | 52.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 60.2% | 57.6% | 62.7% | 2 |
| 1930s | 71.8% | 67.9% | 75.6% | 2 |
| 1940s | 87.2% | 84.2% | 90.3% | 2 |
| 1950s | 95.2% | 94.8% | 95.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 96.3% | 96.0% | 96.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 96.7% | 96.7% | 96.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 98.2% | 98.1% | 98.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 97.1% | 95.9% | 98.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 97.6% | 95.8% | 99.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 99.5% | 99.4% | 99.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 99.6% | 99.6% | 99.6% | 1 |
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 share of the population with at least some formal education in Ireland?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Ireland was 99.6% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 99.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.1% in 1870.
- How does Ireland rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Ireland ranks 12th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.