This publication is part of a series of results from Census 2022. More thematic publications will be published as outlined in the Census 2022 Publication Schedule.
There were over 6,600 (+7%) more people living in Gaeltacht areas in April 2022 compared with April 2016 bringing the Gaeltacht population to more than 106,000 people.
The proportion of Irish speakers in Gaeltacht areas continued to decrease from 69% in 2011 to 66% in 2022.
Almost 1.9 million people (aged three years and over) stated they could speak Irish, an increase of more than 112,500 people since Census 2016 (+6%).
One in ten who spoke Irish could speak it very well while a further 32% spoke it well. The majority of Irish speakers (55%) could not speak the language well.
Just 35% of all people aged 15 and over in 2011 had a third-level qualification, this figure was 45% in 2022.
Almost 270,000 people or 8% had finished their full-time education before they were 16, down from 10% in 2016.
People aged 15 and over in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown were the most likely to have a third level education (65%).
The average age nationally at which people finished their full-time education in Census 2022 was 20.8 years.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (19 December 2023) released Census 2022 Profile 8 The Irish Language and Education. This publication focuses on the number of Irish speakers aged three years and over in the State, the population in the Gaeltacht areas, and the level and frequency of speaking Irish. The release also includes details of the highest level of education of the population.
Commenting on the results, Deirdre Lynch, Statistician in the Census Division, said:
“Profile 8 expands on the information provided in the Education and Irish Language chapter of the Summary Results released in May 2023, covering topics including: the number of people aged three years and over who could speak Irish, how often they spoke the language, and how well. The level of Irish spoken was captured through a new question introduced in Census 2022. The chapters on Education cover areas such as the highest level of education of the population aged 15 years and over, the occupations and industries they work in, and people's principal economic status based on the age they completed their education.
Irish Speakers and the Gaeltacht
In 2022, the number of people aged three and over who could speak Irish saw an increase of 6% since Census 2016 and stood at 1,873,997, representing 40% of the total population aged three and over, unchanged since the previous census. More females than males declared they were able to speak Irish, with females representing 55% of Irish speakers.
The highest proportions of Irish speakers were recorded in Galway County (50%) and Clare (47%) while the lowest were in Dublin City (33%) and Louth (35%). An Bun Beag in Donegal and An Cheathrú Rua in Galway were the towns with the highest proportions of daily Irish speakers at 69%, followed by Mín Lárach at 68% and Doirí Beaga at 66%, both in Donegal.
Table F8014 shows that 42% of the people aged three years and over who could speak Irish declared they spoke it either very well or well. Almost 473,000 Irish speakers stated they never spoke the language and a further 553,965 indicated they only spoke Irish within the education system.
All eight Gaeltacht areas saw population growth in the six years to 2022. The largest percentage increase was in the Waterford Gaeltacht (+14% or 247 people) while the largest rise in the number of people was in the Galway County Gaeltacht (+2,937 people compared with 2016). Among the almost 103,000 people aged three years and over in the Gaeltacht areas, 65,156 indicated they could speak Irish. This was up 2% on the 2016 figure. However, the proportion who could speak Irish in the Gaeltacht areas fell from 69% in 2011 to 66% in 2022.
There was a 2% decline in the number of daily Irish speakers in the Gaeltacht areas compared with the previous census. Galway City Gaeltacht had the lowest percentage of daily speakers at 8% and also the highest proportion of Irish speakers who said they did not speak the language well (47%). In contrast, in the Waterford Gaeltacht, 77% of Irish speakers aged three and over spoke the language either very well or well.
Level of Education
Census 2022 shows that more people are staying longer in education, a trend that has become evident over time. In 1991, 34% of those aged 15 years and over were not educated above primary school level while the equivalent percentage in 2022 was only 11%. Also, younger people who had completed their full-time education were markedly better educated than older people. In the 15 to 44 years age group, 58% had a third level qualification compared with 22% of those aged 65 and over. Among those who had completed their education in 1991, 26% left school before they turned 15 (601,958). By 2022, this figure had decreased by 75% to just over 150,000 people or 4%.
Looking at the level of educational achievement among countries with more than 3,000 citizens living in the State, Table F8039 shows that 45% of Irish citizens aged 15 and over had a third level degree. In comparison, 86% of Indian citizens and 74% of American and French citizens in the same age group had a third level degree. The UK had the largest proportion of citizens whose highest education level was lower secondary (10%, 8,191 people).
Education and Economic Status
In 2022, just over 51,000 people aged between 20 and 49 years were educated no higher than primary level. The labour force participation rate was 61% among this group compared with 86% among those of the same age educated to upper secondary level. The majority of people educated either no higher than primary level (88%) or educated to third level (89%) who were unable to work due to illness also reported at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty.
Looking at early school leavers (people whose education ceased before the age of 16), the labour force participation rate was 34% compared with 61% for the general population. The census unemployment rate among early school leavers was 15%, almost double the overall rate of 8%. There were 8,800 people aged between 20 and 34 years who completed their full-time education before turning 16. Among this group, the labour force participation rate was 70%, but the unemployment rate, at 32%, was four times higher than the national figure.
Table F8060 shows that Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing was the industrial sector with the highest percentage of people educated to primary level or lower (13% of the 78,711 workers). In the Information & Communication Activities sector, only 0.4% (of 112,633 workers) were educated no higher than primary level (483 people) while 84% of people working in this sector had a third level degree or higher, the highest among all broad industrial sectors.
Third Level
More than 38,200 people had a doctorate (Ph.D.) in Census 2022, up 33% since 2016 and 74% from 2011. The data in Table F8037 reveals there were more men (20,178, 53%) than women (18,034) with a Ph.D., although the gap has narrowed since 2011 when men represented 59% of Ph.D. holders. The unemployment rate among Ph.D. holders was 3%, with 821 people either unemployed or looking for their first job.
More than three-quarters of Ph.D. holders in the State were Irish citizens with a further 8,300 people being citizens of other countries. Of these, 21% were UK citizens, 12% were European (excluding Ireland and the UK), and 10% were American citizens. Among those aged 15 years and over who moved to the State in the year leading to Census 2022 and had completed their education, one-third were Irish citizens (15,742) and 75% of these had a third level education. Of the non-Irish citizens aged 15 years and over who came to live in the State in the year leading up to Census 2022 and had completed their education, 67% had a third level qualification or higher (21,258 people).
Appreciation
The publication of Census 2022 results could not have been achieved without the overwhelmingly positive response from the public and we thank everyone who completed their census form on 03 April 2022. We would also like to thank everyone involved in the Census 2022 campaign culminating in today’s successful publication of the results.”
For more commentary on the Census 2022 Profile 8 The Irish Language and Education results, please see the Press Release.