The statistics in this chapter were obtained from the Department of Education and Skills, and the State Examination Commission. Results from the CSO’s Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Adult Education Survey (AES) are also included. The data includes details of participation in and expenditure on first, second and third level education and participation in further education.
Almost four in every ten (39.3%) persons aged 15 to 64 years had a third level qualification in Q2 2018. Over three quarters (76.2%) of all persons attained higher secondary level or above. Three in every fifty persons (6.3%) had not progressed beyond primary level education.
Over one in three (35%) males aged 15-64 have a third level qualification compared to over four in ten women (43%).
| % of males | |
| Primary or below | 7.02 |
| Lower secondary | 16.71 |
| Higher secondary | 24.92 |
| Post secondary non-tertiary | 13 |
| Third level | 35.64 |
| Other/Not Stated | 2.72 |
| % of females | |
| Primary or below | 5.68 |
| Lower secondary | 13.23 |
| Higher secondary | 23.27 |
| Post secondary non-tertiary | 13.13 |
| Third level | 43.68 |
| Other/Not Stated | 2.67 |
A gender difference exists between those with low and high education attainment. In 2018, almost 200,000 persons have attained a level of primary or lower with a gender split of roughly 55% male and 45% female. There was just under 1.2 million persons with a third-level qualification. The gender difference flips at this level of attainment with a gender split of roughly 45% male and 55% female.
| Primary or below | Third level | |
| Male | 110.44 | 561.089 |
| Female | 89.36 | 687.72 |
| Table 7.1 Persons aged 15-64 years classified by the highest level of education attained | |||||
| Thousands | |||||
| Highest education level attained | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Males | |||||
| Primary or below | 121.9 | 107.6 | 114.7 | 102.5 | 110.4 |
| Lower secondary | 276.1 | 277.2 | 270.1 | 267.9 | 263.1 |
| Higher secondary | 376.7 | 388.4 | 387.3 | 382.6 | 392.3 |
| Post-secondary non-tertiary | 193.3 | 180.5 | 193.6 | 186.2 | 204.6 |
| Third level non-honours degree | 113.6 | 141.7 | 140.3 | 146.3 | 139.5 |
| Third level honours degree or above | 382.1 | 371.2 | 379.6 | 412.8 | 421.6 |
| Other/Not Stated | 53.3 | 56.7 | 53.5 | 55.9 | 42.8 |
| Total | 1,517.0 | 1,523.1 | 1,539.2 | 1,554.0 | 1,574.3 |
| Females | |||||
| Primary or below | 106.3 | 97.6 | 92.9 | 82.6 | 89.4 |
| Lower secondary | 217.2 | 223.5 | 219.9 | 215.1 | 208.3 |
| Higher secondary | 364.5 | 362.9 | 356.2 | 361.2 | 366.4 |
| Post-secondary non-tertiary | 192.7 | 181.7 | 193.3 | 196.3 | 206.8 |
| Third level non-honours degree | 144.0 | 178.0 | 178.9 | 171.0 | 161.6 |
| Third level honours degree or above | 475.6 | 462.1 | 482.1 | 515.6 | 526.1 |
| Other/Not Stated | 41.1 | 46.7 | 41.9 | 39.6 | 42.0 |
| Total | 1,541.5 | 1,552.7 | 1,565.1 | 1,581.5 | 1,600.6 |
| All Persons | |||||
| Primary or below | 228.2 | 205.2 | 207.6 | 185.1 | 199.8 |
| Lower secondary | 493.3 | 500.7 | 490.0 | 483.0 | 471.4 |
| Higher secondary | 741.2 | 751.3 | 743.5 | 743.8 | 758.7 |
| Post-secondary non-tertiary | 386.1 | 362.2 | 386.9 | 382.6 | 411.4 |
| Third level non-honours degree | 257.6 | 319.7 | 319.2 | 317.3 | 301.1 |
| Third level honours degree or above | 857.8 | 833.3 | 861.7 | 928.3 | 947.7 |
| Other/Not Stated | 94.4 | 103.4 | 95.4 | 95.5 | 84.8 |
| Total | 3,058.4 | 3,075.8 | 3,104.3 | 3,135.6 | 3,174.9 |
| Note: A break in continuity has occurred in the Educational Attainment series resulting from changes to take account of the new ISCED 2011 classification and, therefore, data from 2014 is not directly comparable with earlier years. Data is based on Q2 data for each year. | |||||
| Source: CSO | |||||
The number of students in first level education totaled 562,724 in 2016/17. In the case of second level students, the participation rate rose strongly from 2005/06 until 2016/17, with 386,699 persons in full-time second level education in the academic year 2016/17. There were 189,147 persons in full-time third level education in 2016/17.
| First level | Second level | Third level | |
| 1965/66 | 504865 | 142983 | 20698 |
| 1970/71 | 520129 | 197142 | 24496 |
| 1975/76 | 550078 | 270956 | 33148 |
| 1980/81 | 568364 | 300601 | 41928 |
| 1985/86 | 576576 | 338207 | 55088 |
| 1990/91 | 552528 | 345941 | 69988 |
| 1995/96 | 485923 | 373665 | 102662 |
| 2000/01 | 444782 | 349274 | 126300 |
| 2005/06 | 462811 | 335134 | 145287 |
| 2010/11 | 514852 | 359653 | 169209 |
| 2015/16 | 557107 | 381615 | 188178 |
| Table 7.2 Persons in full-time education by level | |||
| Number | |||
| School year | First level | Second level1 | Third level |
| 1965/66 | 504,865 | 142,983 | 20,698 |
| 1970/71 | 520,129 | 197,142 | 24,496 |
| 1975/76 | 550,078 | 270,956 | 33,148 |
| 1980/81 | 568,364 | 300,601 | 41,928 |
| 1985/86 | 576,576 | 338,207 | 55,088 |
| 1990/91 | 552,528 | 345,941 | 69,988 |
| 1995/96 | 485,923 | 373,665 | 102,662 |
| 2000/01 | 444,782 | 349,274 | 126,300 |
| 2005/06 | 462,811 | 335,134 | 145,287 |
| 2010/11 | 514,852 | 359,653 | 169,209 |
| 2011/12 | 521,677 | 363,136 | 166,574 |
| 2012/13 | 531,973 | 367,372 | 168,640 |
| 2013/14 | 540,232 | 371,211 | 173,462 |
| 2014/15 | 548,542 | 376,289 | 182,623 |
| 2015/16 | 557,107 | 381,615 | 188,178 |
| 2016/17 | 562,724 | 386,699 | 189,147 |
| 1Includes Post Leaving Certificate courses | |||
| Source: Department of Education and Skills | |||
In the academic year 2017/18, there were 119,711 second level examination candidates (60,208 males and 59,503 females). There were 57,149 Leaving Certificate examination candidates, a decrease of 2.4% on 2016/2017.
| Table 7.3 Second level State examination candidates | |||||||||||
| Number | |||||||||||
| State Examination | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 1 | 2018 2 | |
| Junior Certificate | 55,557 | 56,086 | 56,841 | 58,798 | 59,822 | 60,328 | 59,521 | 60,248 | 61,654 | 62,562 | |
| Male | 28,361 | 28,523 | 29,182 | 29,907 | 30,553 | 31,051 | 30,308 | 30,576 | 31,305 | 31,818 | |
| Female | 27,196 | 27,563 | 27,659 | 28,891 | 29,269 | 29,277 | 29,213 | 29,672 | 30,349 | 30,744 | |
| Leaving Certificate3 | 57,461 | 57,837 | 57,539 | 55,816 | 55,577 | 56,989 | 57,931 | 58,465 | 58,543 | 57,149 | |
| Male | 28,256 | 28,855 | 28,720 | 28,191 | 28,133 | 28,751 | 28,762 | 29,421 | 29,395 | 28,390 | |
| Female | 29,205 | 28,982 | 28,819 | 27,625 | 27,444 | 28,238 | 29,169 | 29,044 | 29,148 | 28,759 | |
| All examination candidates | 113,018 | 113,923 | 114,380 | 114,614 | 115,399 | 117,317 | 117,452 | 118,713 | 120,197 | 119,711 | |
| Male | 56,617 | 57,378 | 57,902 | 58,098 | 58,686 | 59,802 | 59,070 | 59,997 | 60,700 | 60,208 | |
| Female | 56,401 | 56,545 | 56,478 | 56,516 | 56,713 | 57,515 | 58,382 | 58,716 | 59,497 | 59,503 | |
| 1Revised with final numbers | |||||||||||
| 2Provisional data subject to revision | |||||||||||
| 3Includes Leaving Certificate Applied candidates | |||||||||||
| Source: Department of Education and Skills (2004-2015)/State Exams Commission (2016 onwards) | |||||||||||
Current data: State Exam Commission website
Finalised data once confirmed will be available on this interactive table: Department of Education and Skills Database
Over half of adults (54%) reported participating in lifelong learning which includes participation in formal and/or non-formal education in 2017. And three in five adults (62%) participated in informal learning over the same period.
| Type of Education | % of adults |
|---|---|
| Formal | 8.6 |
| Non-formal | 49.7 |
| Lifelong learning | 53.9 |
| Informal | 62.1 |
Despite the high participation rates, almost a third of adults (33%) reported a form of unmet demand for further education.
When asked about the main difficulty to accessing lifelong learning, four in ten females (39.8%) reported Did not have time due to family responsibilities as the main difficulty compared to one in five males (21.6%). The main difficulty for males was Training conflicted with work schedule/was organised at inconvenient time reported by over a fifth of men (26.1%). It was only reported as the main difficulty by one in eight females (12.5%).
| All persons | |
| Met demand | 34.9 |
| Partially met demand | 18.9 |
| Unmet demand | 13.5 |
| No demand | 32.4 |
| Male | Female | |
| Did not have time due to family responsibilities | 21.6 | 39.8 |
| Training conflicted with work schedule/was organised at inconvenient time | 26.1 | 12.5 |
| Training was too expensive or the cost was difficult to afford | 19.3 | 17.1 |
| Respondent's health or age | 5.9 | 7.5 |
| Other | 7.5 | 5.4 |
| No suitable education or training activity available | 5.7 | 4.4 |
| Other personal reasons | 3.1 | 5.3 |
| Lack of employer's support or lack of public services support | 3.7 | 2.3 |
| Training took place at a distance hard to reach | 2.3 | 3.2 |
| Did not have the prerequisites (e.g. entry qualifications) | 2.2 | 2.1 |
| Reluctant to commit due to previous negative learning experiences | 1.7 | 0.1 |
| No access to a computer or internet for distance learning | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| Table 7.4 Persons aged 25-64 who wanted to participate more in lifelong learning, by main difficulty and gender, 2017 | |||
| % of persons | |||
| Main difficulty | Male | Female | All persons |
| Did not have time due to family responsibilities | 21.6 | 39.8 | 31.8 |
| Training conflicted with work schedule/was organised at inconvenient time | 26.1 | 12.5 | 18.5 |
| Training was too expensive or the cost was difficult to afford | 19.3 | 17.1 | 18.1 |
| Respondent's health or age | 5.9 | 7.5 | 6.8 |
| Other | 7.5 | 5.4 | 6.3 |
| No suitable education or training activity available | 5.7 | 4.4 | 5.0 |
| Other personal reasons | 3.1 | 5.3 | 4.4 |
| Lack of employer's support or lack of public services support | 3.7 | 2.3 | 2.9 |
| Training took place at a distance hard to reach | 2.3 | 3.2 | 2.8 |
| Did not have the prerequisites (e.g. entry qualifications) | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 |
| Reluctant to commit due to previous negative learning experiences | 1.7 | 0.1 | 0.8 |
| No access to a computer or internet for distance learning | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| 1Please see the Background notes for the Adult Education Survey 2017 for defintion of the surveyed population. | |||
| Source: CSO | |||
| Table 7.5 Voted Expenditure1 by sector for financial year ended 31st December 2016 | ||||||
| €m | ||||||
| Sector | Current | Capital | Total | |||
| Gross expenditure | ||||||
| First, second and early years' education | 6,242.9 | 15.9 | 6,258.8 | |||
| Second level & further education grants & services | 333.2 | 3.0 | 336.2 | |||
| Higher education | 1,498.3 | 37.6 | 1,535.9 | |||
| Capital services | 36.2 | 646.4 | 682.6 | |||
| Gross total | 8,110.6 | 702.8 | 8,813.5 | |||
| Deduct total appropriations-in-aid | 482.4 | 4.0 | 486.4 | |||
| Total net expenditure | 7,628.2 | 698.9 | 8,327.1 | |||
| 1Voted Expenditure refers to the ordinary services of the Department of Education and Skills, the monies for which are voted by the Dáil and included under Vote 26 of the 2016 Revised Estimates for Public Services. | ||||||
| Source: Department of Education and Skills | ||||||
Further information: Department of Education and Skills 2016/2017 Annual Report
In 2016, the total gross expenditure on education by the State was €8,327.1m.
| First level | Second level | Third level | |
| 2003 | 5390 | 7825 | 10539 |
| 2004 | 5794 | 7914 | 10331 |
| 2005 | 5718 | 8010 | 10363 |
| 2006 | 5471 | 7731 | 10054 |
| 2007 | 6064 | 8820 | 10806 |
| 2008 | 6753 | 9774 | 11676 |
| 2009 | 6992 | 9852 | 11052 |
| 2010 | 6338 | 8794 | 9778 |
| 2011 | 6418 | 8860 | 9223 |
| 2012 | 6417 | 8939 | 8721 |
| 2013 | 6326 | 8320 | 8194 |
| 2014 | 6005 | 8115 | 7591 |
| 2015 | 6295 | 8257 | 7576 |
While the trend of expenditure per student in primary and secondary level education remains broadly similar, third level expenditure per student in 2015 dropped over a third (35.1%) from the peak spend in 2008 and was less than the spend on second level education.
Data on expenditure per student is available on this interactive table: Department of Education and Skills Database
Go to next chapter >>> Social Inclusion
Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.