School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Ireland
Ireland: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 31,194 in 2024. ▲ Rising
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Ireland, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Ireland stood at 31,194.
The figure is down 4.3% on the previous year and down 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Ireland peaked at 36,074 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 27,012, in 2001.
That places Ireland 125th 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, one year before the official primary entry in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 27,012 | — |
| 2002 | 28,029 | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 29,099 | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 29,805 | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 29,364 | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 30,079 | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 30,938 | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 31,650 | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 31,831 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 31,885 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 33,556 | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 35,606 | +6.1% |
| 2013 | 35,931 | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 35,769 | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 35,019 | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 36,074 | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 35,242 | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 34,492 | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 33,264 | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 32,926 | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 33,438 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 31,993 | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 32,600 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 31,194 | -4.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29,756 | 27,012 | 31,831 | 9 |
| 2010s | 34,684 | 31,885 | 36,074 | 10 |
| 2020s | 32,430 | 31,194 | 33,438 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 548,873 (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.49 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.1053 units per person (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 270,411 (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Ireland?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Ireland was 31,194 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 36,074 in 2016.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 27,012 in 2001.
- How does Ireland rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Ireland ranks 125th out of 222 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.8%. 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 School age population, one year before the official primary entry age, male (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