School age population, primary education, both sexes in Ireland

Ireland: School age population, primary education, both sexes was 562,973 number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
562,973 number
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
104th
of 206 countries
All-time high
562,973 number
in 2019
All-time low
348,815 number
in 1970
Years of data
50
1970–2019

School age population, primary education, both sexes in Ireland, 1970–2019

0200.0k400.0k600.0k197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 562,973 number for school age population, primary education, both sexes in 2019. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 16.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Ireland peaked at 562,973 number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 348,815 number, in 1970.

That places Ireland 104th out of 206 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.

School age population, primary education, both sexes in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Ireland, 1970 to 2019.
Year number Change
1970 348,815 number
1971 355,277 number +1.9%
1972 361,071 number +1.6%
1973 366,069 number +1.4%
1974 369,898 number +1.0%
1975 372,306 number +0.7%
1976 373,806 number +0.4%
1977 376,200 number +0.6%
1978 381,774 number +1.5%
1979 390,081 number +2.2%
1980 400,347 number +2.6%
1981 410,912 number +2.6%
1982 419,855 number +2.2%
1983 426,138 number +1.5%
1984 429,578 number +0.8%
1985 430,174 number +0.1%
1986 428,382 number -0.4%
1987 425,932 number -0.6%
1988 423,280 number -0.6%
1989 420,442 number -0.7%
1990 417,382 number -0.7%
1991 413,726 number -0.9%
1992 408,456 number -1.3%
1993 400,765 number -1.9%
1994 390,504 number -2.6%
1995 377,646 number -3.3%
1996 363,113 number -3.8%
1997 449,338 number +23.7%
1998 452,264 number +0.7%
1999 447,741 number -1.0%
2000 439,605 number -1.8%
2001 434,823 number -1.1%
2002 433,711 number -0.3%
2003 435,771 number +0.5%
2004 437,449 number +0.4%
2005 440,502 number +0.7%
2006 448,147 number +1.7%
2007 460,597 number +2.8%
2008 475,158 number +3.2%
2009 485,270 number +2.1%
2010 490,529 number +1.1%
2011 494,750 number +0.9%
2012 507,473 number +2.6%
2013 517,631 number +2.0%
2014 528,323 number +2.1%
2015 538,477 number +1.9%
2016 546,257 number +1.4%
2017 554,423 number +1.5%
2018 558,535 number +0.7%
2019 562,973 number +0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 369,530 number 348,815 number 390,081 number 10
1980s 421,504 number 400,347 number 430,174 number 10
1990s 412,094 number 363,113 number 452,264 number 10
2000s 449,103 number 433,711 number 485,270 number 10
2010s 529,937 number 490,529 number 562,973 number 10

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 101 Azerbaijan 658,998 number compare
  2. 102 Greece 618,673 number compare
  3. 103 Czechia 571,984 number compare
  4. 105 Portugal 558,740 number compare
  5. 106 Kyrgyzstan 551,185 number compare
  6. 107 Palestine, State of 508,539 number compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in Ireland?
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Ireland was 562,973 number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 562,973 number in 2019.
What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 348,815 number in 1970.
How does Ireland rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
Ireland ranks 104th out of 206 countries with data for 2019.
Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.0%. 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, primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

School age population, primary education, both sexes in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-primary-education-both-sexes-number/ireland/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-primary-education-both-sexes-number/ireland/">School age population, primary education, both sexes in Ireland</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
School age population, primary education, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 12,277 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to primary education as indicated by theoretical entrance age and duration.