School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Ireland
Ireland: School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes was 145,030 in 2024. ▲ Rising
School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Ireland, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Ireland is 145,030, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.1% on the previous year and up 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Ireland peaked at 145,030 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 111,504, in 2012.
That places Ireland 133rd out of 220 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, upper secondary education, both sexes in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 128,652 | — |
| 2002 | 125,338 | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 122,943 | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 120,621 | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 116,977 | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 114,706 | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 115,744 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 118,906 | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 117,745 | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 114,700 | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 112,006 | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 111,504 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 113,055 | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 116,684 | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 120,029 | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 121,357 | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 123,483 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 125,859 | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 129,526 | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 131,959 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 132,080 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 133,974 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 137,955 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 145,030 | +5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 120,181 | 114,706 | 128,652 | 9 |
| 2010s | 118,820 | 111,504 | 129,526 | 10 |
| 2020s | 136,200 | 131,959 | 145,030 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 130 Costa Rica 149,763 compare
- 131 Guinea-Bissau 149,543 compare
- 132 Gabon 149,312 compare
- 134 Uruguay 141,477 compare
- 135 Bosnia and Herzegovina 129,103 compare
- 136 Oman 124,565 compare
More education data for Ireland
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2022)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Ireland?
- School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Ireland was 145,030 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 145,030 in 2024.
- What is the lowest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 111,504 in 2012.
- How does Ireland rank for school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes?
- Ireland ranks 133rd out of 220 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.3%. 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, upper secondary 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