Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ireland
Ireland: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 2.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ireland, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 2.9% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 49 years on record.
The figure is down 9.0% on the previous year and down 49.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ireland peaked at 6.2% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 2021.
Ireland ranks 152nd of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 49 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.5% | — |
| 1972 | 4.6% | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 4.6% | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 4.7% | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 4.3% | -8.3% |
| 1977 | 5.1% | +18.4% |
| 1978 | 5.1% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 5.3% | +4.4% |
| 1980 | 5.3% | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 5.7% | +7.7% |
| 1982 | 5.4% | -6.0% |
| 1983 | 5.4% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 5.3% | -3.0% |
| 1985 | 5.2% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 5.3% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 5.5% | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 5.0% | -9.3% |
| 1989 | 4.7% | -6.0% |
| 1990 | 4.6% | -2.4% |
| 1991 | 4.8% | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 5.0% | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 5.1% | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 5.2% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 4.9% | -6.1% |
| 1996 | 4.8% | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 4.3% | -9.8% |
| 1999 | 4.1% | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 4.1% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 4.1% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 4.1% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 4.2% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 4.5% | +6.6% |
| 2005 | 4.5% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 4.5% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 4.7% | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 5.5% | +15.8% |
| 2009 | 6.2% | +12.8% |
| 2010 | 6.0% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 5.8% | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 5.7% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 5.2% | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 4.7% | -9.5% |
| 2015 | 3.6% | -23.5% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | -7.7% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 3.2% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 3.2% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 2.9% | -9.0% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 2.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 66% of the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 2.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.5%, 65% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.8% | 4.3% | 5.3% | 8 |
| 1980s | 5.3% | 4.7% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.7% | 4.1% | 5.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.6% | 4.1% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 3.2% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 2.9% | 3.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 149 Madagascar 3.0% compare
- 150 Turks and Caicos Islands 2.9% compare
- 151 Ghana 2.9% compare
- 153 San Marino 2.9% compare
- 154 Vietnam 2.9% compare
- 155 Nicaragua 2.9% compare
More reference data data for Ireland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0921 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5015 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ireland?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ireland was 2.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 6.2% in 2009.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 2021.
- How does Ireland rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Ireland ranks 152nd out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.7%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.