Ireland: Lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 1.23 percentage points from 99.08% in 2017. Since 2001 it is up 4.63 percentage points from 95.67% in 2001. The World Bank has no value for 2 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2022, Ireland's lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) rose 1.59 percentage points on 2021 (from 98.72% to 100.31%).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2021), the average change was +0.19 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.48 percentage points in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.63 percentage points in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2022 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 7% of the movement over 9 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2022, Ireland had the 3rd highest value of the 10 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 2022 ranking

• Aruba — 1st of 10: 109.56%
• Antigua and Barbuda — 2nd of 10: 100.46%
• Serbia — 4th of 10: 93.19%
• Botswana — 5th of 10: 89.5%
• Colombia — 6th of 10: 78.82%

What this measures

Lower secondary education completion rate is measured as the gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary education (general and pre-vocational). It is calculated as the number of new entrants in the last grade of lower secondary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of lower secondary education.

Limitations: The data do not account for students who drop out during the final year of Lower secondary education. Therefore, this rate serves as a proxy and should be considered an upper estimate of the actual Lower secondary completion rate. There are many reasons why the primary completion rate can exceed 100 percent. The numerator may include late entrants and overage children who have repeated one or more grades of primary education as well as children who entered school early, while the denominator is the number of children at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 20 values

Lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) in nearby economies

• Albania — 103.94% (2024)
• Andorra — 89.83% (2024)
• Armenia — 99.45% (2024)
• Austria — 95.52% (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 80.29% (2024)
• Belarus — 101.23% (2024)
• Belgium — 91.07% (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 92.29% (2023)
• Bulgaria

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 lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group)?

100.31% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is up 4.63 percentage points from 95.67% in 2001. The highest value was 100.31% in 2022 and the lowest 95.58% in 2004.

How does Ireland rank?

3rd highest of 10 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) unusual for Ireland?

In 2022, Ireland's lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) rose 1.59 percentage points on 2021 (from 98.72% to 100.31%). Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2021), the average change was +0.19 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.CMPT.LO.MA.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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