School-age population (primary level) in Ireland
Ireland: School-age population (primary level) was 562,836 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
562,836
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
35th
of 72 countries
All-time high
571,070
in 2020
All-time low
433,711
in 2002
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 562,836.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in Ireland peaked at 571,070 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 433,711, in 2002.
Ireland ranks 35th of 72 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
School-age population (primary level) in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 439,605 | — |
| 2001 | 434,823 | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 433,711 | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 435,771 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 437,449 | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 440,502 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 448,147 | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 460,597 | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 475,158 | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 485,270 | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 490,529 | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 494,750 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 507,473 | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 517,631 | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 528,323 | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 538,477 | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 546,257 | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 556,320 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 562,061 | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 568,348 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 571,070 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 567,600 | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 568,921 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 568,883 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 562,836 | -1.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 562,836 is above the median for high income countries, which is 380,422, 1.5× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 562,836 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 432,925, 1.3× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 449,103 | 433,711 | 485,270 | 10 |
| 2010s | 531,017 | 490,529 | 568,348 | 10 |
| 2020s | 567,862 | 562,836 | 571,070 | 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 562,836 in 2024, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 571,070 in 2020.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 433,711 in 2002.
- How does Ireland rank for school-age population?
- Ireland ranks 35th 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 6.5%. 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 (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).