Primary education, pupils in Ireland
Ireland: Primary education, pupils was 548,873 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Primary education, pupils in Ireland, 1971–2022
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2022, primary education, pupils in Ireland stood at 548,873.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and up 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Ireland peaked at 570,381 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 358,830, in 1997.
Ireland ranks 108th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 404,594 | 399,560 | 414,624 | 9 |
| 1980s | 421,121 | 418,247 | 423,662 | 10 |
| 1990s | 407,119 | 358,830 | 465,186 | 10 |
| 2000s | 461,448 | 443,617 | 498,838 | 10 |
| 2010s | 539,072 | 506,400 | 568,495 | 10 |
| 2020s | 558,804 | 548,873 | 570,381 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 18.1% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.7% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 96.5% (2022)
- Primary education, teachers 42,162 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female 97.6% (2022)
- School enrollment, primary, male 95.5% (2022)
- Labor force, total 2.91 million (2025)
- Labor force, female 46.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Ireland?
- Primary education, pupils in Ireland was 548,873 in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 570,381 in 2020.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 358,830 in 1997.
- How does Ireland rank for primary education, pupils?
- Ireland ranks 108th out of 206 countries with data for 2022.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.