Share of the population with at least some secondary education in Ireland
Ireland: Share of the population with at least some secondary education was 92.46 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with at least some secondary education in Ireland, 1971–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with at least some secondary education in Ireland is 92.46, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some secondary education in Ireland peaked at 92.46 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 32.06, in 1971.
That places Ireland 36th out of 135 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Share of the population with at least some secondary education in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 32.06 | — |
| 1981 | 47.64 | +48.6% |
| 1991 | 61.48 | +29.0% |
| 2006 | 83.88 | +36.4% |
| 2007 | 81.87 | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 79.12 | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 79.9 | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 81.07 | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 83.47 | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 82.82 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 84.01 | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 86.88 | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 87.15 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 87.35 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 86.16 | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 88.2 | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 88.32 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 89.27 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 90.68 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 90.89 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 92.46 | +1.7% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 92.46 is above the median for high income countries, which is 91.64, 1.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 92.46 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 95.43, 97% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with at least some secondary education in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +48.6% | 32.06 | 47.64 |
| 2006 | +36.4% | 61.48 | 83.88 |
| 1991 | +29.0% | 47.64 | 61.48 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 32.06 | 32.06 | 32.06 | 1 |
| 1980s | 47.64 | 47.64 | 47.64 | 1 |
| 1990s | 61.48 | 61.48 | 61.48 | 1 |
| 2000s | 81.19 | 79.12 | 83.88 | 4 |
| 2010s | 85.54 | 81.07 | 88.32 | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.83 | 89.27 | 92.46 | 4 |
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 share of the population with at least some secondary education in Ireland?
- Share of the population with at least some secondary education in Ireland was 92.46 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some secondary education recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 92.46 in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some secondary education recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.06 in 1971.
- How does Ireland rank for share of the population with at least some secondary education?
- Ireland ranks 36th out of 135 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population with at least some secondary education rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).