Ireland: Primary education, teachers

Key figures

Since 1975 it is up 214.71% from 13,397 in 1975 (2.42% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 9 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, Ireland's primary education, teachers rose 3.2% on 2022 (from 40,865 to 42,162).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2022), the average change was +2.8% and a typical year strayed about 4.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 17.5% in 1999 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.1% in 1989. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

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

How it compares

In 2023, Ireland had the 20th highest value of the 40 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

• Mali — 17th of 40: 59,920
• Portugal — 18th of 40: 52,131
• Romania — 19th of 40: 47,769
• Papua New Guinea — 21st of 40: 40,888
• Nicaragua — 22nd of 40: 29,707
• West Bank and Gaza — 23rd of 40: 25,038

What this measures

Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.

Limitations: The precision of this indicator can be influenced by the enumeration method used, such as headcount or 'full-time equivalent' count of teachers.

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

All 40 values

Primary education, teachers in nearby economies

• Albania — 9,336 (2024)
• Andorra — 413 (2024)
• Armenia — 7,540 (2024)
• Austria — 35,752 (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 38,731 (2024)
• Belarus — 22,228 (2024)
• Belgium — 80,763 (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 9,722 (2023)
• Bulgaria — 22,710 (2024)
• Croatia — 13,441 (2023)
• Cyprus — 5,389 (2023)
• Denmark

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Ireland's primary education, teachers?

42,162 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is up 214.71% from 13,397 in 1975 (2.42% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 42,162 in 2023 and the lowest 13,060 in 1976.

How does Ireland rank?

20th highest of 40 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in primary education, teachers unusual for Ireland?

In 2023, Ireland's primary education, teachers rose 3.2% on 2022 (from 40,865 to 42,162). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2022), the average change was +2.8% and a typical year strayed about 4.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.TCHR, 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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