Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ireland
Ireland: Share of the population with completed tertiary education was 50.3 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ireland, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ireland stood at 50.3. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ireland peaked at 50.3 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1870.
Ireland ranks 7th of 111 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0.1 | — |
| 1880 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.2 | +100.0% |
| 1905 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.4 | +100.0% |
| 1920 | 0.6 | +50.0% |
| 1925 | 0.8 | +33.3% |
| 1930 | 1.2 | +50.0% |
| 1935 | 1.7 | +41.7% |
| 1940 | 2.3 | +35.3% |
| 1945 | 2.9 | +26.1% |
| 1950 | 3.7 | +27.6% |
| 1955 | 4 | +8.1% |
| 1960 | 4.4 | +10.0% |
| 1965 | 4.9 | +11.4% |
| 1970 | 5.2 | +6.1% |
| 1975 | 6.8 | +30.8% |
| 1980 | 8.8 | +29.4% |
| 1985 | 13.3 | +51.1% |
| 1990 | 16.8 | +26.3% |
| 1995 | 21.7 | +29.2% |
| 2000 | 28.7 | +32.3% |
| 2005 | 35.2 | +22.6% |
| 2010 | 49.4 | +40.3% |
| 2015 | 49.8 | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 50.3 | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.05 | 0 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 2 |
| 1930s | 1.45 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 2 |
| 1940s | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 2 |
| 1950s | 3.85 | 3.7 | 4 | 2 |
| 1960s | 4.65 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 2 |
| 1970s | 6 | 5.2 | 6.8 | 2 |
| 1980s | 11.05 | 8.8 | 13.3 | 2 |
| 1990s | 19.25 | 16.8 | 21.7 | 2 |
| 2000s | 31.95 | 28.7 | 35.2 | 2 |
| 2010s | 49.6 | 49.4 | 49.8 | 2 |
| 2020s | 50.3 | 50.3 | 50.3 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- 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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ireland?
- Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ireland was 50.3 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 50.3 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1870.
- How does Ireland rank for share of the population with completed tertiary education?
- Ireland ranks 7th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with completed tertiary education rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with completed tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).