Irish population educated to record level with half having 3rd-level qualification, census finds

The Irish population is educated to a higher level than ever before with almost half of over-15s holding a third-level degree or similar qualification, according to the latest breakdown of last year’s census.

Figures compiled by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show there has been a sharp increase in the number of people who completed a third-level qualification, rising from 14 per cent of the population in 1991 to 48 per cent in 2022.

The opposite trend occurred among those with primary education only.

In 1991, some 34 per cent of those aged 15 and over were educated to primary school only while the equivalent percentage in 2022 had fallen to 11 per cent.

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The CSO collects a range of data using the age of 15 as a cut-off point, including whether or not they have ceased education.

Overall, younger people were markedly better educated than older people.

For example, 58 per cent of people aged 15 to 44 had a third-level qualification last year in comparison with 22 per cent of those aged 65 and over.

On a county-by-county basis, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown had the highest proportion of over-15s educated to third-level (65 per cent), followed by Galway City (53 per cent) and Fingal (50 per cent).

Donegal, by contrast, had the highest proportion (16 per cent) of people with either no formal or primary education only. This was followed by Monaghan (14 per cent) and Mayo and Cavan (both 13 per cent).

Many non-Irish residents, on average, had a higher level of education than Irish citizens, based on an analysis of nationalities with more than 3,000 citizens living in the State.

While 45 per cent of Irish citizens aged 15 and over had a third level degree, this climbed even higher among Indian citizens (86 per cent), Americans (74 per cent), French (74 per cent) and Germans (73 per cent).

Latvian citizens had the highest proportion who were educated to upper secondary level only (48 per cent).

When the figures are broken down by gender, they show women are outpacing men in third level attainment

In 1991 the level of third level education was similar among males (14 per cent) and females (13 per cent).

By last year, the level of third level education had soared for both, but was more pronounced for woman (50 per cent) compared to men (46 per cent).

The figures also show a clear economic benefit for those with a higher level of education.

The labour force participation rate among those with primary education only aged 20-50 (61 per cent) lagged well behind those who completed secondary school only (86 per cent).

The census unemployment rate among early school leavers was 15 per cent, almost double the overall rate of 8 per cent.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing was the industrial sector with the highest percentage of people educated to primary level or lower (13 per cent), while the tech sector had the highest proportion third-level educated workers (84 per cent).

The figures show show more people are attaining education beyond a college degree.

More than 38,200 people had a doctorate or PhD in Census 2022, up 33 per cent since 2016 and 74 per cent from 2011.

While there were more men (53 per cent) than women (47 per cent) with PhDs, the gap has narrowed since 1991 when men accounted for a greater share (59 per cent) of doctorates. More than three-quarters of PhD holders in the State were Irish citizens.

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