Years of schooling in Ireland
Ireland: Years of schooling was 11.72 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
11.72
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
47th
of 192 countries
All-time high
11.72
in 2021
All-time low
9.13
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Years of schooling in Ireland, 1990–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for years of schooling in Ireland is 11.72, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, years of schooling in Ireland peaked at 11.72 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9.13, in 1990.
Ireland ranks 47th of 192 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Years of schooling in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 9.13 | — |
| 1991 | 9.27 | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 9.41 | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 9.55 | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 9.69 | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 9.83 | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 9.97 | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 10.11 | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 10.25 | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 10.39 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 10.53 | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 10.67 | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 10.81 | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 10.95 | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 11.09 | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 11.23 | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 11.37 | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 11.35 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 11.42 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 11.5 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 11.57 | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 11 | -4.9% |
| 2012 | 11.07 | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 11.14 | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 11.21 | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 11.29 | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 11.36 | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 11.43 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 11.5 | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 11.58 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 11.65 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 11.72 | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 11.72 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 11.72 | +0.0% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 11.72 is below the median for high income countries, which is 12.39, 95% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 11.72 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.34, 95% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.76 | 9.13 | 10.39 | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.09 | 10.53 | 11.5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.32 | 11 | 11.58 | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.71 | 11.65 | 11.72 | 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 years of schooling in Ireland?
- Years of schooling in Ireland was 11.72 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest years of schooling recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 11.72 in 2021.
- What is the lowest years of schooling recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.13 in 1990.
- How does Ireland rank for years of schooling?
- Ireland ranks 47th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is years of schooling rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. 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 Years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).