Share of children who have completed primary school in Ireland
Ireland: Share of children who have completed primary school was 99.8% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Share of children who have completed primary school in Ireland, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children who have completed primary school in Ireland is 99.8%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Ireland peaked at 99.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 99.7%, in 1981.
Ireland ranks 18th of 165 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 99.7% | — |
| 1982 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 99.7% | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 99.7% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 99.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 99.6%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 99.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 99.6%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 99.7% | 99.7% | 99.7% | 9 |
| 1990s | 99.7% | 99.7% | 99.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 99.7% | 99.7% | 99.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 99.7% | 99.7% | 99.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.8% | 99.8% | 99.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 15 Malaysia 99.8% compare
- 16 Slovakia 99.8% compare
- 16 Turkmenistan 99.8% compare
- 18 Uzbekistan 99.8% compare
- 20 Belarus 99.8% compare
- 20 Georgia 99.8% compare
- 20 Netherlands 99.8% compare
More education data for Ireland
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1053 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Ireland?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Ireland was 99.8% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 99.7% in 1981.
- How does Ireland rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Ireland ranks 18th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.