Educational Attainment Thematic Report 2025

This chapter looks at how educational attainment rates in Ireland compare across the EU-27 in 2025. It shows that Ireland’s attainment rates compare favourably to rates seen across the EU-27. For 20 to 24 year olds, Ireland had the third highest attainment level up to higher secondary and in the 30 to 34 year old cohort Ireland had the highest third level attainment rate. It also shows that Ireland had one of the lowest levels for early school leavers across the EU-27.

Ireland third highest in the EU for 20 to 24 year olds with at least higher secondary education

Main findings for secondary level education attainment of 20 to 24 year olds across EU-27:

• In 2025, 86% of all 20 to 24 year olds in the EU-27 member states had attained at least a higher secondary level of education. 
• Ireland had a rate of 95% of 20 to 24 year olds with at least higher secondary level of education, ranking the country third behind Greece and Croatia among EU member states (See Figure 4.1 and Table 4.1).

In 2025, Ireland had higher rates of third level education attainment in comparison to the EU-27 average across all age groupings

Main findings for tertiary level educational attainment of 25 to 64 year olds across the EU-27 in 2025:

• In Quarter 2 (Q2) 2025 Ireland had over a 20 percentage point difference in the 25 to 34, 35 to 44, and 45 to 54 age groups for tertiary level attainment compared with the EU-27 average.
• The 55 to 64 year old grouping had the smallest difference of 16 percentage points over the EU-27 average, 43% of Irish 55 to 64 year olds compared with the EU-27 average of 27% (See Table 4.2).

Ireland highest in the EU-27 for tertiary educational attainment among 30 to 34 year olds

Main findings for tertiary level education attainment of 30 to 34 year olds across the EU-27 in 2025: 

• In 2025, the latest available EU figures show that 46% of 30 to 34 year olds in the EU-27 had a third level qualification.
• Ireland had a third level attainment rate for 30 to 34 year olds of 69%, the highest in the EU-27 followed by Luxembourg and Cyprus.
• Whilst Ireland had the highest overall third level attainment rate, Cypriot women had a third level attainment rate for 30 to 34 year olds of 75% and Luxembourg men had a third level attainment rate for 30 to 34 year olds of 66%, the highest in the EU-27 for each sex.
• Across all countries in the EU-27, females had higher third level attainment levels for 30 to 34 year olds.
• The EU-27 average has a difference of 11 percentage points between the sexes for the 30 to 34 year old age group, with 51% of females and 40% of males having a third level qualification.
• Ireland had the fourth lowest difference between the sexes for the 30 to 34 year old age group at only 7 percentage points, with 72% of females and 65% of males having third level attainment in Ireland.
• Estonia and Slovenia had the largest gap in the sexes for third level attainment, with Estonia having a 24 percentage point difference (58% of females and 34% of males) and Slovenia a 28 percentage point difference (58% of females and 30% of males) (See Figure 4.2 and Table 4.3).

Ireland had one of the lowest rates of early school leavers in the EU-27

Main findings for early school leavers aged 18 to 24 across the EU-27 in 2025:

• The latest available EU figures showed that in 2025, 9% of all 18 to 24 year olds in the EU-27 member states were classified as early school leavers (Early school leavers are people aged 18 to 24 whose highest level of educational attainment is lower secondary or below and are not currently in education).
• In Ireland, just 4% of those aged 18 to 24 were in 2025 classed as early school leavers, the third lowest in the EU-27 member states.
• Croatia had the lowest rate of early school leavers at 2% and Romania the highest at 16% (See Figure 4.3 and Table 4.4).