The 25-34-year-old age group had the highest level of third level attainment at 65% in 2024, followed by the 35-44-year-old group at 61%.
In Q2 2024, 85% of females aged 25-64 years with a third level qualification were employed.
More than nine in ten (91%) of males aged 25-64 years with a third level education were in employment in Q2 2024.
Females across all age groupings (25-64 years) had higher levels of third level attainment than males.
The region with the highest level of third level attainment of those aged between 25-64 years was Dublin (65%), and the region with the lowest was the Midlands (43%).
Around 3% of people aged between 25-64 years had only a primary school education or no formal education.
In 2023, Ireland was well above the EU-27 average for third level attainment across all age groupings. All but one grouping showed a difference of over 20 percentage points, with the 55-64-year-old age group at 14 percentage points.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (13 November 2024) released the Educational Attainment Thematic Report 2024.
Commenting on the release, Kevin Healy, Statistician in the Social Analysis Division, said: “This release is compiled using Labour Force Survey (LFS) Quarter 2 (Q2) 2024 data and 2023 Eurostat data.
This report shows that in 2023 Ireland had higher rates of third-level or tertiary education in comparison with the EU-27 average. In Ireland, 63% of 25–34-year-olds had a tertiary level qualification in 2023 compared with the EU-27 average of 43%.
Overall, for those aged 25-64 years in Q2 2024, more than half (56%) had attained a third level education, 13% had an attainment level to PLC, 27% attained a secondary level education only, while only 3% attained a primary level or no formal education.
In Q2 2024, younger age groups reported the highest levels of third level attainment, with around six in ten 25-34- and 35–45-year-olds having a third level qualification (65% and 61% respectively), compared with just under one in four (38%) of 60-64-year-olds. This reflects increased levels of participation in third level education over time.
Educational Attainment and Employment
Employment rates for those aged 25-64 years generally rose as the level of education attained increased. In Q2 2024, 85% of females aged between 25-64 years with a third-level qualification were employed. Similarly, males aged 25-64 years with a third-level qualification had an employment rate of 91%.
Educational Attainment and Regional Differences
Regional differences were found in educational attainment rates. Around 6% of people in the Border areas (Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, and Sligo) had attained primary-only or no formal education, while this figure fell to 1% for people living in the South-West (Cork and Kerry), and to 2% for people in the Mid-East (Wicklow, Kildare, Meath, and Louth) and Dublin (Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, and South Dublin).
When it came to secondary education, 23% of people living in Dublin had attained a secondary level education only, compared with 35% of people in the Midlands. Looking at third-level education attainment, around 65% of persons aged 25-64 years in Dublin attained a third level education, while in the Midland counties 43% of people had done so.”