Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ireland
Ireland: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 2.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ireland, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 2.9% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 49 years on record.
The figure is down 9.0% on the previous year and down 49.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ireland peaked at 6.2% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 2021.
Ireland ranks 152nd of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 49 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.8% | 4.3% | 5.3% | 8 |
| 1980s | 5.3% | 4.7% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.7% | 4.1% | 5.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.6% | 4.1% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 3.2% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 2.9% | 3.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 149 Madagascar 3.0% compare
- 150 Turks and Caicos Islands 2.9% compare
- 151 Ghana 2.9% compare
- 153 San Marino 2.9% compare
- 154 Vietnam 2.9% compare
- 155 Nicaragua 2.9% compare
More reference data data for Ireland
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0076 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.6 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.6 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.6 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.949 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.59 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 84.35 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 85.51 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.64 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 78.02 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ireland?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ireland was 2.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 6.2% in 2009.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 2021.
- How does Ireland rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Ireland ranks 152nd out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.