What is the highest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in Ireland?

The highest recorded value was 14.03 years in 2040.

What is the lowest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in Ireland?

The lowest recorded value was 9.69 years in 1980.

How does Ireland rank for share in poverty vs. educational attainment?

Ireland ranks 6th out of 146 regions with data for 2040.

Is share in poverty vs. educational attainment rising or falling in Ireland?

Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. 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 in poverty vs. educational attainment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Ireland

Name: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Ireland
Creator: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Ireland: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment was 14.03 years in 2040. ▲ Rising

Latest (2040)

14.03 years

Rank

6th

of 146 regions

All-time high

14.03 years

in 2040

All-time low

9.69 years

in 1980

Years of data

1980–2040

Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Ireland, 1980–2040

Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Ireland is 14.03 years, measured in 2040. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Ireland peaked at 14.03 years in 2040 and was at its lowest, 9.69 years, in 1980.

That places Ireland 6th out of 146 regions with data for 2040, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1980s	10.03 years	9.69 years	10.37 years	2
1990s	10.72 years	10.64 years	10.8 years	2
2000s	11.41 years	11.03 years	11.8 years	2
2010s	13.01 years	12.45 years	13.57 years	2
2020s	13.78 years	13.74 years	13.81 years	2
2030s	13.95 years	13.92 years	13.97 years	2
2040s	14.03 years	14.03 years	14.03 years	1

Countries ranked near Ireland

3 Germany 14.28 years compare
4 Singapore 14.19 years compare
5 Hong Kong 14.12 years compare
7 Taiwan 13.59 years compare
8 Slovakia 13.56 years compare
9 Malaysia 13.51 years compare

See the full ranking of 146 places →

More education data for Ireland

Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
Population ages 15-64 65.7% (2025)
Population ages 0-14 18.1% (2025)
Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
School enrollment, primary 96.5% (2022)
Primary education, teachers 42,162 (2023)
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.6 live births per woman (2024)
School enrollment, primary, female 97.6% (2022)

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Ireland?: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Ireland was 14.03 years in 2040, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in Ireland?: The highest recorded value was 14.03 years in 2040.
What is the lowest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in Ireland?: The lowest recorded value was 9.69 years in 1980.
How does Ireland rank for share in poverty vs. educational attainment?: Ireland ranks 6th out of 146 regions with data for 2040.
Is share in poverty vs. educational attainment rising or falling in Ireland?: Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. 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 in poverty vs. educational attainment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment
Unit: years
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 146 places, 1,653 data points, 1980–2040
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Average years of formal education for individuals aged 15-64.