Ireland: Educational attainment, at least completed post-secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative)

Key figures

Since 1971 it is up 58.68 percentage points from 4.64% in 1971. The World Bank has no value for 40 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

How it compares

In 2023, Ireland had the 2nd highest value of the 31 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Ireland in the 2023 ranking

• Lithuania — 2nd of 31: 63.23%
• Sweden — 3rd of 31: 52.53%
• Armenia — 4th of 31: 52.47%

What this measures

The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed post-secondary non-tertiary education.

Limitations: Caution is required when using this indicator for cross-country comparison, since the countries do not always classify degrees and qualifications at the same International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) levels, even if they are received at roughly the same age or after a similar number of years of schooling. Also, certain educational programmes and study courses cannot be easily classified according to ISCED. This indicator only measures educational attainment in terms of level of education attained, i.e. years of schooling, and does not necessarily reveal the quality of the education (learning achievement and other impacts).

All 13 values

Educational attainment, at least completed post-secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative) in nearby economies

• Albania — 20.43% (2022)
• Armenia — 52.47% (2023)
• Austria — 30.89% (2021)
• Azerbaijan — 32.53% (2023)
• Belgium — 39.42% (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 19.24% (2023)
• Bulgaria — 26.69% (2023)

More education data for Ireland

• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 8 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 548,873 (2022)
• Secondary education, pupils — 456,625 (2022)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2020)
• School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.04 (2020)
• School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.1 (2020)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Ireland's educational attainment, at least completed post-secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative)?

63.32% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 58.68 percentage points from 4.64% in 1971. The highest value was 63.32% in 2023 and the lowest 4.64% in 1971.

How does Ireland rank?

2nd highest of 31 economies with data for 2023.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.CUAT.PO.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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