Theoretical duration of early childhood education in Ireland
Ireland: Theoretical duration of early childhood education was 5 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
5 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
61st
of 202 countries
All-time high
5 years
in 2017
All-time low
1 years
in 1999
Years of data
27
1999–2025
Theoretical duration of early childhood education in Ireland, 1999–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, theoretical duration of early childhood education in Ireland stood at 5 years. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 400.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, theoretical duration of early childhood education in Ireland peaked at 5 years in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1999.
That places Ireland 61st out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Theoretical duration of early childhood education in Ireland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 years | — |
| 2000 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 years | +400.0% |
| 2018 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 5 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1 years | 1 years | 1 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 1 years | 1 years | 1 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2 years | 1 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 61 Aruba 5 years compare
- 61 Albania 5 years compare
- 61 Antigua and Barbuda 5 years compare
- 61 Australia 5 years compare
- 61 Azerbaijan 5 years compare
- 61 Barbados 5 years compare
- 61 Dominica 5 years compare
- 61 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 5 years compare
- 61 Ghana 5 years compare
- 61 Gambia 5 years compare
- 61 Grenada 5 years compare
- 61 Kazakhstan 5 years compare
- 61 Morocco 5 years compare
- 61 North Macedonia 5 years compare
- 61 Myanmar 5 years compare
- 61 Montenegro 5 years compare
- 61 Nigeria 5 years compare
- 61 New Zealand 5 years compare
- 61 Paraguay 5 years compare
- 61 Sierra Leone 5 years compare
- 61 Slovenia 5 years compare
- 61 Thailand 5 years compare
- 61 Turkmenistan 5 years compare
- 61 Ukraine 5 years compare
- 61 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 5 years compare
- 61 British Virgin Islands 5 years compare
More education data for Ireland
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is theoretical duration of early childhood education in Ireland?
- Theoretical duration of early childhood education in Ireland was 5 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest theoretical duration of early childhood education recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 5 years in 2017.
- What is the lowest theoretical duration of early childhood education recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1999.
- How does Ireland rank for theoretical duration of early childhood education?
- Ireland ranks 61st out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is theoretical duration of early childhood education rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 400.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Theoretical duration of early childhood education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release