Back to Top

Central Statistics Office

 Skip navigation

Show Menu  

Measuring Ireland's Progress 2014

Education

4.1 Ireland: Real current public expenditure on education, 2005-2014
     
 € per student at 2013 prices€m at 2013 prices
 LevelReal current public expenditure
YearPrimarySecond1Third
20055,8378,17610,5797,059
20066,0408,53611,1007,421
20076,1828,99111,0167,742
20086,2969,11210,8857,978
20096,5379,21110,3338,257
20106,4268,9179,9148,207
20116,3898,8199,1808,119
20126,2078,6458,4357,922
20136,2598,2328,1077,850
20146,0558,1837,6737,761
Source: Department of Education and Skills, CSO
1 Second level includes further education, e.g. post-Leaving Certificate programmes.
  • Real expenditure per student, (i.e., expenditure adjusted for inflation), increased by 3.7% at primary level between 2005 and 2014, rising from €5,837 per student in 2005 to €6,055 by 2014.
  • Real expenditure per student at second level rose from €8,176 in 2005 to €9,211 in 2009 before dropping to €8,183 in 2014, close to the level in 2005.
  • At third level there was a decrease of 27.5% in real expenditure per student over the same time period, falling from €10,579 per student in 2005 to €7,673 by 2014.
  • In 2014 expenditure per student at third level was below the amount spent on each student at second level.
  • Current public expenditure on education in real prices rose by nearly a tenth (9.9%) between 2005 and 2014, from €7,059 million to €7,761 million.
PrimarySecondThird
20055837817610579
20066040853611100
20076182899111016
20086296911210885
20096537921110333
2010642689179914
2011638988199180
2012620786458435
2013625982328107
2014605581837673
4.2 Ireland: Student numbers1 by level, 2005-2014
    
number
 Level
YearPrimarySecondThird (full-time equivalents)
2005452,734334,060159,323
2006463,341332,929160,361
2007477,489334,277161,964
2008491,432337,599166,099
2009501,748345,062174,080
2010507,460352,855181,516
2011512,374357,283184,622
2012520,444360,567186,654
2013530,380364,579188,594
2014539,669369,225191,829
Source: Department of Education and Skills
1 Only students in institutions which are aided by the Department of Education and Skills are included in this table.
  • The number of primary level students increased strongly by nearly a fifth (19.2%) between 2005 and 2014, rising from 452,734 to 539,669.
  • Between 2005 and  2014 the number of second level students rose by 10.5%, from 334,060 to 369,225.
  • The numbers of full-time equivalent third level students increased by just over a fifth (20.4%) between 2005 and 2014, rising from 159,323 to 191,829.
PrimarySecondThird (FTEs)
2005452734334060159323
2006463341332929160361
2007477489334277161964
2008491432337599166099
2009501748345062174080
2010507460352855181516
2011512374357283184622
2012520444360567186654
2013530380364579188594
2014539669369225191829
4.3 EU: Public expenditure on education, 2010-20121,2
    
% of GDP
Country201020112012
Denmark8.88.8:
Malta6.78.06.8
Cyprus7.97.96.7
Ireland (% of GNI)7.67.57.4
Sweden7.06.87.4
Finland6.96.87.1
Belgium6.66.66.6
Ireland (% of GDP)6.46.26.1
United Kingdom6.26.0:
Netherlands6.05.95.9
Austria5.95.85.6
France5.95.75.7
Slovenia5.75.75.4
Portugal5.65.34.9
EU 285.45.3:
Lithuania5.45.24.8
Estonia5.75.24.8
Germany5.15.04.8
Latvia5.05.0:
Poland5.24.94.9
Spain5.04.84.3
Hungary4.94.74.1
Czech Republic4.34.54.3
Italy4.54.3:
Croatia4.34.2:
Slovakia4.24.13.1
Bulgaria4.13.83.7
Romania3.53.12.6
Greece4.1::
Luxembourg3.2::
    
Iceland7.67.47.2
Norway6.96.7:
Switzerland5.25.35.2
Turkey:4.1:
Source: Eurostat
1 2005 data used for Greece and 2007 data for Luxembourg.
2 2012 data is based on ISCED2011 and 2010 and 2011 is based on ISCED97, see Appendix 1 for further information.
  • Public expenditure on education in Ireland was 6.1% of GDP in 2011, above the EU average of 5.3%, and the seventh highest in the EU.
  • Ireland had the fourth highest expenditure on education in 2011 when calculated as a percentage of GNI.
4.4 EU: Ratio of students to teachers, 2013
    
ratio
CountryPrimaryLower secondaryUpper secondary
Luxembourg8.811.27.1
Greece9.57.38.1
Lithuania10.27.68.0
Hungary10.610.412.0
Poland11.19.911.0
Latvia11.27.810.2
Malta11.57.79.4
Austria11.99.09.9
Italy12.012.013.0
Belgium12.79.39.9
Sweden12.712.012.8
Estonia13.09.811.3
Portugal13.210.48.4
Finland13.29.016.0
Spain13.811.611.0
Croatia14.39.19.7
Germany15.613.613.2
Slovenia16.08.213.5
Ireland16.4:13.9
Slovakia16.912.513.6
Bulgaria17.713.012.2
Romania18.612.815.7
Czech Republic18.811.211.1
France19.315.410.1
United Kingdom21.818.518.5
Netherlands:::
    
Norway10.39.810.3
Iceland10.410.5:
Macedonia15.79.313.1
Turkey19.819.315.6
Source: Eurostat
 
  • Ireland had a student to teacher ratio of 16.4 in primary education in 2013. This was the seventh highest ratio in the EU, for those countries for which data was available. 
  • The lowest student to teacher ratio in primary education in 2013 was in Luxembourg at 8.8 while the highest was in the United Kingdom at 21.8.
  • Ireland had the fourth highest student to teacher ratio for upper secondary education at 13.9 in 2013, for those EU countries for which data was available.
  • The lowest ratio in upper secondary education was in Luxembourg at 7.1 while the highest was in the United Kingdom at 18.5.
4.5 EU: Persons aged 25-34 with third level education by sex, 2014
     
% of population aged 25-34
CountryPersonsMalesFemalesPercentage points differential
Cyprus53.443.063.4-20.4
Lithuania52.644.461.0-16.6
Luxembourg50.244.955.6-10.8
Ireland47.641.253.6-12.4
Sweden46.539.154.1-15.0
United Kingdom45.041.848.2-6.4
Estonia44.335.154.2-19.0
Belgium43.836.551.1-14.6
Netherlands43.639.048.2-9.3
France42.638.346.8-8.5
Finland40.332.448.7-16.3
Spain40.234.246.3-12.2
Poland38.931.247.0-15.9
Latvia38.727.150.9-23.8
Greece38.733.244.3-11.1
Austria38.335.541.1-5.5
Denmark37.731.144.4-13.2
Slovenia37.728.048.3-20.2
EU 2836.331.541.1-9.5
Croatia31.726.237.4-11.2
Hungary31.325.337.5-12.2
Bulgaria31.123.639.2-15.5
Portugal30.722.838.3-15.5
Slovakia29.823.536.5-13.0
Czech Republic29.524.634.7-10.1
Malta29.425.633.5-7.9
Germany 28.227.528.9-1.4
Romania25.322.728.0-5.3
Italy23.918.329.5-11.2
     
Norway50.642.159.4-17.3
Switzerland45.746.544.81.6
Iceland37.931.844.2-12.5
Macedonia28.122.534.0-11.5
Turkey23.424.422.42.0
Source: Eurostat LFS
  • Close to half (47.6%) of 25 to 34 year olds in Ireland had third level education in 2014. This was the fourth highest rate in the EU and compares with 36.3% across the EU as a whole.
  • In Cyprus, Lithuania and Luxembourg more than half of the population aged 25-34 had a third level qualification in 2014.
  • More females than males aged 25-34 had third level education in all  EU countries with Latvia having the highest percentage points differential of 23.8.
  • In Ireland over half (53.6%) of females aged 25-34 had a third level qualification, compared to 41.2% of males.
  • The proportion of the population aged 25-34 in Ireland with third level education has risen steadily in recent years, from 40% in 2005 to 48.5% in 2013, before dropping slightly to 47.6% in 2014.  Over the same time period, the proportion with third level education in the EU rose from 27.7% to 36.3%.
EU28Ireland
200527.662686298879240.0373642464555
200628.610313458171641.0668376847305
200729.377222517799142.322537383134
200830.432802793384642.8279369529319
200931.909843472746845.0859418525473
201032.584493753013845.5669664916565
201133.493964926428845.0293923654593
201234.561205558109646.925812973861
201335.454281165623348.5200138069625
201436.272005283005847.6306914118622
4.6 EU: Student performance on the mathematical, reading and scientific literacy scales, 2012
    
Mean score of 15 year old students
CountryMathematical literacyReading literacyScientific literacy
Netherlands523511522
Estonia521516541
Finland519524545
Poland518518526
Belgium515509505
Germany514508524
Austria506490506
Ireland501523522
Slovenia501481514
Denmark500496498
Czech Republic499493508
France495505499
OECD average494496501
United Kingdom494499514
Latvia491489502
Luxembourg490488491
Portugal487488489
Italy485490494
Spain484488496
Slovak Republic482463471
Lithuania479477496
Sweden478483485
Hungary477488494
Greece453477467
Romania445438439
Cyprus440449438
Bulgaria439436446
    
Switzerland531509515
Iceland493483478
Norway489504495
Croatia471485491
Turkey448475463
Source: OECD, Educational Research Centre
  • Ireland had the eighth highest mathematical literacy for 15 year old students among participating EU countries in 2012, with a score of 501, above the OECD average of 494. The highest scores in the EU were in the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland.
  • In reading literacy, Ireland had the second highest score in 2012 mong participating EU countries, with a score of 523 and was well above the OECD average of 496. the highest score in the EU was in Finland at 524.
  • Ireland ranked joint fifth highest for scientific literacy with a score of 522, compared to an OECD average of 501. Finland, Estonia and Poland had the highest scores in the EU for scientific literacy.
4.7 EU: Early school leavers, 20141
    
% of population aged 18-24
CountryPersonsMalesFemales
Croatia2.73.12.3
Slovenia4.46.02.7
Poland5.47.33.3
Czech Republic5.55.85.2
Lithuania5.97.04.6
Luxembourg6.18.33.7
Slovakia6.76.96.6
Sweden6.77.36.0
Cyprus6.811.22.9
Ireland6.98.05.7
Austria7.07.66.5
Denmark7.79.36.0
France8.59.57.4
Latvia8.511.75.1
Netherlands8.610.36.8
Greece9.011.56.6
Germany9.510.08.9
Finland9.511.97.2
Belgium9.811.87.7
EU2811.112.79.5
Estonia11.415.37.5
Hungary11.412.510.3
United Kingdom11.812.810.7
Bulgaria12.912.812.9
Italy15.017.712.2
Portugal17.420.714.1
Romania18.119.516.7
Malta20.422.318.3
Spain21.925.618.1
    
Switzerland5.45.55.4
Norway11.712.910.4
Macedonia12.511.014.0
Iceland19.024.313.5
Turkey38.335.541.0
Source: Eurostat LFS
1Persons aged 18-24 with, at most, lower secondary education and not in further education or training.
 
  • Just under 7% of those aged 18-24 in Ireland had left school with, at most, lower secondary education in 2014.
  • The EU average for early school leavers was 11.1% and varied from a low of 2.7% in Croatia to high of 21.9% in Spain.
  • 8% of males aged 18-24 in Ireland had left school early in 2014 while the rate for females was lower at 5.7%.
  • Males are more likely than females to leave school early in all EU countries except Bulgaria.
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
4.8 EU: Mathematics, Science and Technology graduates, 20141
per 1,000 population aged 20-29
CountryMalesFemalesTotal
France32.714.223.4
United Kingdom27.917.422.7
Austria33.011.622.5
Finland31.312.121.9
Ireland33.610.021.6
Denmark26.015.120.7
Spain29.212.120.7
Portugal24.516.320.4
Poland21.816.319.1
Slovenia25.512.319.1
Germany26.710.418.7
EU 2823.912.318.2
Lithuania25.310.718.2
Slovakia20.812.616.8
Czech Republic21.811.116.6
Romania18.313.616.0
Croatia19.711.415.7
Greece18.612.115.4
Malta21.58.615.3
Sweden19.49.714.7
Belgium20.47.313.9
Bulgaria16.710.613.7
Italy16.011.113.6
Estonia16.010.813.5
Latvia16.78.112.5
Hungary15.66.711.3
Netherlands14.65.09.9
Cyprus11.37.19.2
Luxembourg4.92.33.6
    
Switzerland28.77.818.4
Norway20.16.913.6
Macedonia9.05.97.5
Source: Eurostat
1 2013 data used for EU28, Ireland, Greece, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Sweden and Macedonia.
  • Ireland had the fifth highest proportion of mathematics, science and technology (STEM) graduates in the EU in 2014.
  • The proportion of graduates in these disciplines was 21.6 per 1,000 of the population aged 20-29 in Ireland.
  • The proportion of male graduates in STEM areas in Ireland, at 33.6 per 1,000 of the population aged 20-29, was the highest in the EU.
  • However the proportion of female graduates in Ireland, at 10 per 1,000 of the population aged 20-29, was the ninth lowest rate in the EU.

Go to next theme >>> Health

Contents

Contact:

Central Statistics Office
Skehard Road, Cork T12 X00E, Ireland

Tel:
(+353) 21 453 5000
E-Mail:
information@cso.ie

Links:

Careers

You can count on a rewarding career with the CSO.

Learn about our variety of roles and the benefits of working with the CSO.

Follow: