School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Ireland
Ireland: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes was 76,443 in 2024. ▲ Rising
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Ireland, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Ireland stood at 76,443.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and up 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Ireland peaked at 77,454 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 53,815, in 2006.
That places Ireland 119th out of 222 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 56,668 | — |
| 2002 | 56,537 | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 57,487 | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 56,768 | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 55,165 | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 53,815 | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 54,172 | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 55,569 | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 57,819 | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 59,037 | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 60,361 | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 60,549 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 60,926 | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 61,625 | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 62,915 | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 63,612 | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 64,440 | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 65,064 | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 67,205 | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 71,532 | +6.4% |
| 2021 | 73,916 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 75,770 | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 77,454 | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 76,443 | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 56,000 | 53,815 | 57,819 | 9 |
| 2010s | 62,573 | 59,037 | 67,205 | 10 |
| 2020s | 75,023 | 71,532 | 77,454 | 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 school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Ireland?
- School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Ireland was 76,443 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 77,454 in 2023.
- What is the lowest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 53,815 in 2006.
- How does Ireland rank for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes?
- Ireland ranks 119th out of 222 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.0%. 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 School age population, last grade of 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