Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Ireland
Ireland: Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation was 56.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Ireland, 1998–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 56.9% for share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in 2021.
The figure is up 5.5% on the previous year and down 22.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Ireland peaked at 78.1% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 53.6%, in 2017.
That places Ireland 100th out of 116 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 76.1% | — |
| 1999 | 73.3% | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 68.6% | -6.4% |
| 2001 | 68.0% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 71.5% | +5.2% |
| 2003 | 73.6% | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 75.7% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 74.2% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 75.1% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 73.1% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 72.9% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 74.3% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 71.6% | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 73.7% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 76.0% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 73.6% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 72.9% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 78.1% | +7.1% |
| 2016 | 77.7% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 53.6% | -31.1% |
| 2018 | 54.5% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 54.8% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 54.0% | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 56.9% | +5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 74.7% | 73.3% | 76.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 72.7% | 68.0% | 75.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.6% | 53.6% | 78.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.5% | 54.0% | 56.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 97 Andorra 57.6% compare
- 98 Cayman Islands 57.2% compare
- 99 Sierra Leone 57.0% compare
- 101 Rwanda 56.6% compare
- 102 Montserrat 55.5% compare
- 103 Finland 55.2% 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 total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Ireland?
- Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Ireland was 56.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 78.1% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.6% in 2017.
- How does Ireland rank for share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation?
- Ireland ranks 100th out of 116 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 total public education spending allocated to staff compensation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Compensation for staff across all levels of education, both teaching and non-teaching, covers salaries, retirement contributions by employers, and additional benefits.