Share of population with no formal education in Ireland
Ireland: Share of population with no formal education was 0.4% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population with no formal education in Ireland, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population with no formal education in Ireland is 0.4%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in Ireland peaked at 81.9% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2020.
Ireland ranks 97th of 111 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population with no formal education in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 81.9% | — |
| 1875 | 79.3% | -3.2% |
| 1880 | 76.6% | -3.4% |
| 1885 | 73.8% | -3.7% |
| 1890 | 69.9% | -5.3% |
| 1895 | 65.6% | -6.2% |
| 1900 | 61.5% | -6.2% |
| 1905 | 56.7% | -7.8% |
| 1910 | 52.4% | -7.6% |
| 1915 | 47.4% | -9.5% |
| 1920 | 42.4% | -10.5% |
| 1925 | 37.3% | -12.0% |
| 1930 | 32.1% | -13.9% |
| 1935 | 24.4% | -24.0% |
| 1940 | 15.8% | -35.2% |
| 1945 | 9.7% | -38.6% |
| 1950 | 5.2% | -46.4% |
| 1955 | 4.5% | -13.5% |
| 1960 | 4.0% | -11.1% |
| 1965 | 3.4% | -15.0% |
| 1970 | 3.3% | -2.9% |
| 1975 | 3.3% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1.9% | -42.4% |
| 1985 | 1.7% | -10.5% |
| 1990 | 1.7% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 4.1% | +141.2% |
| 2000 | 4.2% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | -85.7% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | -16.7% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | -20.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 80.6% | 79.3% | 81.9% | 2 |
| 1880s | 75.2% | 73.8% | 76.6% | 2 |
| 1890s | 67.8% | 65.6% | 69.9% | 2 |
| 1900s | 59.1% | 56.7% | 61.5% | 2 |
| 1910s | 49.9% | 47.4% | 52.4% | 2 |
| 1920s | 39.8% | 37.3% | 42.4% | 2 |
| 1930s | 28.2% | 24.4% | 32.1% | 2 |
| 1940s | 12.8% | 9.7% | 15.8% | 2 |
| 1950s | 4.8% | 4.5% | 5.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 3.7% | 3.4% | 4.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 3.3% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 2.9% | 1.7% | 4.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 0.6% | 4.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 270,411 (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate -1.15 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.0519 units per person (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 278,462 (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -1.81 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.0534 units per person (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 456,625 (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.55 % change on previous year (2022)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,162 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 3.17 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in Ireland?
- Share of population with no formal education in Ireland was 0.4% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with no formal education recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 81.9% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2020.
- How does Ireland rank for share of population with no formal education?
- Ireland ranks 97th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.