School-age population in Ireland
Ireland: School-age population was 119,778 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
119,778
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
52nd
of 72 countries
All-time high
136,155
in 2017
All-time low
50,927
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024
School-age population in Ireland, 2000–2024
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
In 2024, school-age population in Ireland stood at 119,778.
The figure is down 3.6% on the previous year and up 70.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in Ireland peaked at 136,155 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 50,927, in 2000.
That places Ireland 52nd out of 72 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 57,425 | 50,927 | 61,802 | 10 |
| 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
- 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)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 18.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 96.48 (2022)
- School enrollment, primary 96.5% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school-age population in Ireland?
- School-age population in Ireland was 119,778 in 2024, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 136,155 in 2017.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 50,927 in 2000.
- How does Ireland rank for school-age population?
- Ireland ranks 52nd out of 72 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school-age population 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 UNICEF, published as part of School-age population (pre-primary level). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).