Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ireland
Ireland: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both was 64,764 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
64,764
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
122nd
of 222 countries
All-time high
73,024
in 2015
All-time low
52,568
in 2001
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ireland, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ireland stood at 64,764.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ireland peaked at 73,024 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 52,568, in 2001.
Ireland ranks 122nd of 222 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 52,568 | — |
| 2002 | 54,166 | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 55,936 | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 56,993 | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 57,950 | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 58,205 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 60,083 | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 62,136 | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 62,588 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 62,180 | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 62,287 | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 66,438 | +6.7% |
| 2013 | 71,022 | +6.9% |
| 2014 | 72,617 | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 73,024 | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 72,575 | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 71,521 | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 69,382 | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 67,990 | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 66,188 | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 64,788 | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 65,395 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 63,256 | -3.3% |
| 2024 | 64,764 | +2.4% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 64,764 is above the median for high income countries, which is 40,266, 1.6× the median. (80 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 64,764 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 65,242, 99% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 57,847 | 52,568 | 62,588 | 9 |
| 2010s | 68,904 | 62,180 | 73,024 | 10 |
| 2020s | 64,878 | 63,256 | 66,188 | 5 |
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 population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ireland?
- Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ireland was 64,764 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 73,024 in 2015.
- What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 52,568 in 2001.
- How does Ireland rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both?
- Ireland ranks 122nd out of 222 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. 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 Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release