About one third of people in the State (33.5%) who had ceased their full-time education in 2022 had a third-level degree or higher. The highest proportion of people with at least a third level degree were in Cities at 40%, followed by Satellite urban towns at 38.1%. The lowest proportion was 24.3% in Highly rural/remote areas, (see Figure 7.1 and Table 7.1).
Upper secondary was the highest level of education for 18.2% of those who had ceased full-time education in 2022. This rate varied across the country, with the highest rate of 20.3% in Independent urban towns and the lowest of 16.2% in Cities.
Women were more likely to be educated to at least degree level, with 36.5% having a third-level degree or postgraduate qualification compared to 30.4% of men. This gap was strongest in Rural areas with moderate urban influence, where 33.5% of women were educated to least degree level compared to 21.9% of men.
| Type of urban or rural area | % with a third-level degree or higher |
|---|---|
| Cities | 40 |
| Satellite urban towns | 38.1 |
| Independent urban towns | 26.2 |
| Rural areas with high urban influence | 33.4 |
| Rural areas with moderate urban influence | 27.7 |
| Highly rural/remote areas | 24.3 |
| State | 33.5 |
In the 2022 Census, there were 136,526 residents aged 19 to 22 years who were defined as students and for whom a valid Protected Identifier Key (PIK) was assigned, (see Background Notes).
The largest number of students were in Cities (57,617), while the smallest number was 8,625 from Highly rural/remote areas.
More than half of all people aged 19-22 were students in all the area types, except for Independent urban towns where the proportion was 46.1%.
Note that these numbers include students present at their home address and students temporarily away at college on Census night.
| Type of urban or rural area | Proportion of students among overall age group 19-22 |
|---|---|
| Cities | 60.2 |
| Satellite urban towns | 55.5 |
| Independent urban towns | 46.1 |
| Rural areas with high urban influence | 58.7 |
| Rural areas with moderate urban influence | 54 |
| Highly rural/remote areas | 51.6 |
| State | 55.9 |
There were 46,784 students, or 34.3% of all students aged 19-22, who applied for a Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grant for the academic year 2021/2022, see Table 7.2. The proportion of students applying for a grant varied across the six area types with the highest proportion being 47.2% in Independent urban towns, followed by 45.9% in Highly rural/remote areas, with the lowest proportion being 28.7% in Cities.
| Type of urban or rural area | Proportion of students aged 19-22 that applied |
|---|---|
| Cities | 28.7 |
| Satellite urban towns | 34.3 |
| Independent urban towns | 47.2 |
| Rural areas with high urban influence | 30.8 |
| Rural areas with moderate urban influence | 39.0 |
| Highly rural/remote areas | 45.9 |
| State | 34.3 |
The rate for lifelong learning is defined as those who participate in either formal or non-formal education and training. Using results from the 2022 Adult Education Survey, 61% of adults aged 25-69 in Satellite Urban Towns participated in lifelong learning activities in the previous 12 months, which was the highest rate across the six area types. (See Background Notes for definition of survey population). The lowest rate was observed in Independent Urban Towns at 45%.
Cities and Independent Urban Towns had the highest rates of adults aged 25-69 who participated in formal education at 12%. It was lowest in Rural areas with moderate urban influence at 6%
Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.