School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Ireland
Ireland: School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes was 119,778 in 2024. ▲ Rising
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Ireland, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Ireland is 119,778, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% on the previous year and up 70.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Ireland peaked at 136,155 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 52,371, in 2001.
That places Ireland 139th 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, pre-primary education, both sexes in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 52,371 | — |
| 2002 | 54,648 | +4.3% |
| 2003 | 56,672 | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 58,347 | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 57,852 | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 59,134 | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 60,713 | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 61,802 | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 61,785 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 62,144 | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 65,578 | +5.5% |
| 2012 | 69,861 | +6.5% |
| 2013 | 70,652 | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 70,366 | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 69,626 | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 70,901 | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 136,155 | +92.0% |
| 2018 | 131,984 | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 128,915 | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 129,019 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 128,346 | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 122,959 | -4.2% |
| 2023 | 124,239 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 119,778 | -3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 58,147 | 52,371 | 61,802 | 9 |
| 2010s | 87,618 | 62,144 | 136,155 | 10 |
| 2020s | 124,868 | 119,778 | 129,019 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 42,162 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Ireland?
- School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Ireland was 119,778 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 136,155 in 2017.
- What is the lowest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 52,371 in 2001.
- How does Ireland rank for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes?
- Ireland ranks 139th out of 222 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 70.2%. 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, pre-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