Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in Ireland
Ireland: Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education was 56.6% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in Ireland, 2000–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 56.6% for proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
The figure is down 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in Ireland peaked at 73.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 56.6%, in 2022.
Ireland ranks 7th of 52 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 73.3% | — |
| 2003 | 66.2% | -9.6% |
| 2006 | 70.6% | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 63.1% | -10.6% |
| 2012 | 68.2% | +8.0% |
| 2015 | 73.8% | +8.3% |
| 2018 | 72.5% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 56.6% | -21.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 68.3% | 63.1% | 73.3% | 4 |
| 2010s | 71.5% | 68.2% | 73.8% | 3 |
| 2020s | 56.6% | 56.6% | 56.6% | 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 proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in Ireland?
- Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in Ireland was 56.6% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 73.8% in 2015.
- What is the lowest proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.6% in 2022.
- How does Ireland rank for proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education?
- Ireland ranks 7th out of 52 countries with data for 2022.
- Is proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in mathematics, very poor socioeconomic background, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release