Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Ireland
Ireland: Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, both sexes was 0.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Ireland, 1991–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Ireland stood at 0.9%.
That represents a change of down 8.8% on the previous year and down 51.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Ireland peaked at 2.5% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2015.
Ireland ranks 114th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.9% | — |
| 1992 | 1.7% | -12.7% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 1.7% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 1.5% | -12.4% |
| 1999 | 1.5% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 1.2% | -16.8% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | -8.0% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | -17.0% |
| 2003 | 2.5% | +158.7% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | -17.0% |
| 2005 | 1.8% | -10.5% |
| 2006 | 1.8% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | -10.2% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | +6.5% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | -45.3% |
| 2014 | 1.1% | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | -19.2% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +29.0% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | -12.2% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | -8.8% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 0.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.9%, 1.0× the median. (69 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 0.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.5%, 1.7× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +158.7% | 1.0% | 2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 6 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.0% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.9% | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 2 |
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 repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Ireland?
- Repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Ireland was 0.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 2003.
- What is the lowest repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2015.
- How does Ireland rank for repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes?
- Ireland ranks 114th out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.8%. 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 Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release