Average years of schooling in Ireland
Ireland: Average years of schooling was 11.58 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling in Ireland, 1870–2020
Source: Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for average years of schooling in Ireland is 11.58 years, measured in 2020.
The figure is up 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling in Ireland peaked at 12.31 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.65 years, in 1870.
That places Ireland 45th out of 162 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Average years of schooling in Ireland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 2.65 years | — |
| 1880 | 3.31 years | +24.9% |
| 1890 | 3.89 years | +17.5% |
| 1900 | 4.53 years | +16.5% |
| 1913 | 5.08 years | +12.1% |
| 1925 | 6.24 years | +22.7% |
| 1929 | 6.59 years | +5.7% |
| 1933 | 6.71 years | +1.7% |
| 1938 | 6.82 years | +1.7% |
| 1950 | 7.13 years | +4.5% |
| 1955 | 7.37 years | +3.3% |
| 1960 | 7.71 years | +4.7% |
| 1965 | 8 years | +3.7% |
| 1970 | 8.39 years | +4.9% |
| 1975 | 8.64 years | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 8.79 years | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 9.15 years | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 9.52 years | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 9.84 years | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 10.15 years | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 10.42 years | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 10.69 years | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 12.31 years | +15.2% |
| 2020 | 11.58 years | -5.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 2.65 years | 2.65 years | 2.65 years | 1 |
| 1880s | 3.31 years | 3.31 years | 3.31 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 3.89 years | 3.89 years | 3.89 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 4.53 years | 4.53 years | 4.53 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 5.08 years | 5.08 years | 5.08 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 6.41 years | 6.24 years | 6.59 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 6.76 years | 6.71 years | 6.82 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 7.25 years | 7.13 years | 7.37 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 7.85 years | 7.71 years | 8 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 8.52 years | 8.39 years | 8.64 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 8.97 years | 8.79 years | 9.15 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 9.68 years | 9.52 years | 9.84 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 10.29 years | 10.15 years | 10.42 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 11.5 years | 10.69 years | 12.31 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 11.58 years | 11.58 years | 11.58 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
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 average years of schooling in Ireland?
- Average years of schooling in Ireland was 11.58 years in 2020, according to Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 12.31 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.65 years in 1870.
- How does Ireland rank for average years of schooling?
- Ireland ranks 45th out of 162 countries with data for 2020.
- Is average years of schooling rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of years of total schooling (primary, secondary, and tertiary) for the population aged 15 and over.