Ireland: Secondary education, pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Ireland's secondary education, pupils rose 1.5% on 2021 (from 449,673 to 456,625).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2021), the average change was +1% and a typical year strayed about 5.9% 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 25.4% in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.4% in 2019. 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about 15,629 a year. A straight line explains 66% of the movement over 9 observed years.

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

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Ireland in the 2022 ranking

• Viet Nam — 1st of 7: 9.61 million
• Colombia — 2nd of 7: 4.85 million
• Benin — 3rd of 7: 929,099
• Eritrea — 5th of 7: 266,829
• Comoros — 6th of 7: 67,764
• Cabo Verde — 7th of 7: 55,831

What this measures

Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.

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

All 51 values

Secondary education, pupils in nearby economies

• Albania — 208,738 (2024)
• Andorra — 5,245 (2024)
• Armenia — 290,201 (2024)
• Austria — 706,802 (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 1.06 million (2024)
• Belarus — 729,741 (2024)
• Belgium — 1.18 million (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 226,755 (2023)
• Bulgaria — 485,226 (2024)
• Croatia — 325,996 (2023)
• Cyprus — 61,230 (2024)
• Czechia

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)
• 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) — 2.9% (2021)

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 secondary education, pupils?

456,625 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 118.79% from 208,705 in 1971 (1.55% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 491,761 in 2018 and the lowest 208,705 in 1971.

Is the latest change in secondary education, pupils unusual for Ireland?

In 2022, Ireland's secondary education, pupils rose 1.5% on 2021 (from 449,673 to 456,625). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2021), the average change was +1% and a typical year strayed about 5.9% 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.

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.ENRL, 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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