School-age population (pre-primary level) in Ireland
Ireland: School-age population (pre-primary level) was 119,778 in 2024. ▲ Rising
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.
School-age population (pre-primary level) in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 50,927 | — |
| 2001 | 52,371 | +2.8% |
| 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 below the median for high income countries, which is 182,828, 66% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 119,778 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 217,062, 55% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School-age population (pre-primary level) 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 | 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
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.47 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.19 (2022)
- 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)
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).