School-age population in Ireland
Ireland: School-age population was 145,030 in 2024. ▲ Rising
School-age population in Ireland, 2000–2024
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
In 2024, school-age population in Ireland stood at 145,030. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.1% on the previous year and up 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in Ireland peaked at 145,030 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 111,504, in 2012.
That places Ireland 51st 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 | 121,588 | 114,706 | 134,244 | 10 |
| 2010s | 118,820 | 111,504 | 129,526 | 10 |
| 2020s | 136,200 | 131,959 | 145,030 | 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 145,030 in 2024, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 145,030 in 2024.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 111,504 in 2012.
- How does Ireland rank for school-age population?
- Ireland ranks 51st 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 24.3%. 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 (upper secondary 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).