Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Ireland

Ireland: Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of was 20.8% in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
20.8%
Change on year
up 34.1%
World rank
81st
of 115 countries
All-time high
36.1%
in 2009
All-time low
15.5%
in 2016
Years of data
20
1998–2017

Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Ireland, 1998–2017

0102030401998200720171998: 28.41999: 27.92000: 29.72001: 27.12002: 25.12003: 22.82004: 22.22005: 232006: 24.72007: 25.42008: 31.72009: 36.12010: 31.32011: 29.62012: 28.62013: 24.62014: 21.92015: 18.42016: 15.52017: 20.8

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 20.8% for initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in 2017.

The figure is up 34.1% on the previous year and down 18.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Ireland peaked at 36.1% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 15.5%, in 2016.

That places Ireland 81st out of 115 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.

Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita in Ireland, 1998 to 2017.
Year Value Change
1998 28.4%
1999 27.9% -1.8%
2000 29.7% +6.3%
2001 27.1% -8.6%
2002 25.1% -7.5%
2003 22.8% -9.2%
2004 22.2% -2.7%
2005 23.0% +3.5%
2006 24.7% +7.5%
2007 25.4% +2.9%
2008 31.7% +24.9%
2009 36.1% +13.6%
2010 31.3% -13.1%
2011 29.6% -5.6%
2012 28.6% -3.4%
2013 24.6% -14.0%
2014 21.9% -10.9%
2015 18.4% -16.1%
2016 15.5% -15.7%
2017 20.8% +34.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 28.2% 27.9% 28.4% 2
2000s 26.8% 22.2% 36.1% 10
2010s 23.8% 15.5% 31.3% 8

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 78 Colombia 21.4% compare
  2. 79 Croatia 21.0% compare
  3. 80 Indonesia 20.8% compare
  4. 82 Chile 20.4% compare
  5. 83 Lao People's Democratic Republic 20.3% compare
  6. 84 Macau, China 20.1% compare

See the full ranking of 115 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Ireland?
Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Ireland was 20.8% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 36.1% in 2009.
What is the lowest initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 15.5% in 2016.
How does Ireland rank for initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of?
Ireland ranks 81st out of 115 countries with data for 2017.
Is initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/initial-government-funding-per-tertiary-student-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-per-capita/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
115 places, 1,387 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central, current and capital) initial government funding of education per student, which includes transfers paid (such as scholarships to students), but excludes transfers received, in this case international transfers to government for education (when foreign donors provide education sector budget support or other support integrated in the government budget). Calculation Method: Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure (current and capital) on a given level of education (primary, secondary, etc) minus international transfers to government for education, divided by the number of student enrolled at that level of education. This is then expressed as a share of GDP per capita. Limitations: In some instances data on total government expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. There are also cases where it may not be possible to separate international transfers to government from general government expenditure on education, in which cases they have not been subtracted in the formula. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/