School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in Ireland
Ireland: School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) 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 (number) 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% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 119,778 is above the median for high income countries, which is 112,749, 1.1× the median. (80 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 119,778 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 198,721, 60% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +92.0% | 70,901 | 136,155 |
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
- 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, 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