Educational Attainment Thematic Report 2026

This chapter examines the connection between educational attainment levels and various sociodemographic factors. It shows that participation in third level education has increased over time for both sexes and that females generally have higher levels of third level attainment than males. It will also be seen that non - Irish nationals have higher levels of third level attainment than Irish nationals and the Dublin region has highest third level attainment level of all NUTS3 regions in the State.

Over 6 in 10 (66%) of 25 to 34 year olds have a third level qualification

Main findings for education levels by age group:

• Third level attainment was highest in younger age groups, with 64% of 35 to 44 year olds and 66% of 25 to 34 year olds holding a third level qualification.
• The age cohort with the lowest third level attainment were the 60 to 64 year olds with 40%, this reflects increased levels of participation in third level education over time (See Figure 3.1 and Table 3.1).

Females across all age groupings had higher levels of third level attainment than males

Main findings for education levels by sex:

• Females aged 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 years had the highest third level attainment rates in Quarter 2 (Q2) 2026, at 69% for both age cohorts, in comparison to males in the same age cohorts who had third level attainment rates of 63% and 58% respectively.
• The gap between males and females in third level attainment exists across all age groups but is lowest (4 percentage point difference) in the 60 to 64 (42% of females and 38% of males) age group (See Table 3.2).

• Over the last ten years, there has been an increase in the proportion of those aged 25 to 64 year olds with a third level education, from 45% in Q2 2016 to 59% in Q2 2026.
• This has been accompanied by a steady decrease in the proportion with primary education / no formal education from 6% in Q2 2016 to 3% in Q2 2026 (See Figure 3.2 and Table 3.3).

Non - Irish nationals have higher education levels

Main findings for education levels by nationality:

• In Q2 2026, over half of Irish nationals (57%) aged 25 to 64 years old had a third level qualification.
• Non - Irish nationals living in Ireland had a third level qualification rate of 67%.
• The nationality group with the lowest rate of third level attainment is the group of nationals from the 'EU15 to EU27' member states, with 43% of people from those countries living in Ireland having a third level qualification.
• The nationality group with the highest rate of third level attainment is the group noted as “Other”. For Q2 2026 there are 67 Countries represented in this category with 79% of people from those countries living in Ireland having a third level qualification (See Figure 3.3 and Table 3.4).

Dublin has highest third level education level for 25 to 64 year olds

Main findings for education levels by region:

• In Dublin, seven in ten people (70%) aged 25 to 64 years old had a third level qualification in Q2 2026.
• The Midlands (Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath) had the lowest level of people with a third level education at 48% of those aged 25 to 64.
• In the Border (Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo) region, 5% of people aged 25 to 64 had a primary level education only or no formal education in Q2 2026, while all the other regions had a rate of 3% or below (See Maps 3.1, 3.2, and Table 3.5).

Females aged 20 to 24 years old more likely than males to have attained an upper secondary level education

Main findings for secondary education levels in 20 to 24 year olds:

• In Q2 2026, 95% of those aged 20 to 24 years old had attained at least an upper secondary level of education in Ireland.
• Females aged 20 to 24 years old were slightly more likely than males to have attained at least an upper secondary level education (97% versus 94% respectively) (See Figure 3.4 and Table 3.6).

Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) of 30 to 34 year olds have a third level qualification

Main findings for tertiary education levels in 30 to 34 year olds:

• In Q2 2026, 69% of people aged 30 to 34 years old had a third level qualification. In Q2 2006, the equivalent figure was 41%. 
• From 2006, a gap between the sexes has been consistently seen and this continues to Q2 2026 where 70% of females hold a third level qualification compared with 68% of males (See Figure 3.5 and Table 3.7).