What percentage of Irish adults have a third-level qualification?

Census 2022 recorded 40.9% of Irish adults as holding a third-level qualification. This includes certificates, ordinary degrees, honours degrees, postgraduate diplomas, and higher degrees. The rate varies from above 70% in parts of south Dublin to below 15% in some rural and peripheral urban electoral divisions.

Which areas of Ireland have the highest education levels?

Third-level attainment is highest in south Dublin electoral divisions, particularly in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, where rates exceed 70%. Parts of Galway city, Cork city, and Maynooth also record above-average rates. The IrelandInsights map shows the precise rate for every electoral division.

Which counties have the lowest education rates in Ireland?

Counties in the rural midlands and northwest — including Longford, Roscommon, Leitrim, and Donegal — record the lowest average third-level attainment rates. Some individual electoral divisions in these counties fall below 15%, compared to the 40.9% national average.

Does education level affect house prices in Ireland?

High-attainment EDs correlate with higher property demand and, in urban areas, lower home ownership rates — partly because high-income renters cluster in the same EDs as graduates. In Dublin, third-level attainment is high but ownership falls to approximately 52% across the city. The relationship is visible when both layers are viewed together on the IrelandInsights map.

Ireland Education Statistics · Census 2022

Ireland education statistics by area — third-level attainment mapped

Parts of south Dublin record third-level attainment above 70% — while some rural electoral divisions sit below 15%. The national figure of 40.9% (Census 2022) spans a 55-point gap. The same EDs at the bottom of the education ranking tend to sit at the top of unemployment. The data is below.

Niall Thomas · 4 min read

Ireland education — Census 2022 overview

National Rate

40.9%

Third-level qualified

Highest areas

70%+

South Dublin EDs

Lowest areas

<15%

Peripheral EDs

Electoral Divisions

3,420

All mapped, Census 2022

Source: CSO Census 2022 — Education Attainment by Electoral Division across all 3,420 EDs in Ireland.

Third-level attainment rate by electoral division, Census 2022 Switch to unemployment → Switch to median age →

Areas with the highest third-level attainment

These electoral divisions had the highest share of adults with a third-level qualification in Census 2022. Rates above 70% cluster in specific south Dublin EDs, university-adjacent areas, and parts of major city centres.

Electoral Division	Third-Level %
1. DUN LAOGHAIRE-GLENAGEARYDun Laoghaire/Rathdown	84.2%
2. BLACKROCK-CENTRALDun Laoghaire/Rathdown	83.3%
3. BLACKROCK-BOOTERSTOWNDun Laoghaire/Rathdown	83.2%
4. RATHMINES EAST BDublin City	83.1%
5. BLACKROCK-SEAPOINTDun Laoghaire/Rathdown	82.7%
6. CLONSKEAGH-MILLTOWNDun Laoghaire/Rathdown	81.7%

Explore education rates across Ireland →

Areas with the lowest attainment

EDs below 15% sit in the rural midlands, the northwest, and some outer urban areas. These EDs also show higher unemployment and lower home ownership in Census 2022.

Electoral Division	Third-Level %
1. JOHN'S ALimerick City	19.2%
2. KILLEELY ALimerick City	22.8%
3. GALVONE BLimerick City	23.6%
4. PRIORSWOOD BDublin City	23.7%
5. GLENTWORTH CLimerick City	23.8%
6. FARRANFERRIS BCork City	24.4%

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South Dublin records some of Europe's highest local attainment rates

Electoral divisions in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and parts of south Dublin city record third-level attainment above 70%. This is not a county figure — it comes from Census 2022 returns at electoral division level. The concentration is geographic, not spread evenly across the county.

The attainment gap between urban and rural Ireland

Some rural EDs in the midlands, northwest, and border regions sit below 20%. Nationally the rate is 40.9%, leaving a gap of over 50 percentage points between the top and bottom decile. These same divisions tend to have higher unemployment and lower home ownership.

University towns: EDs in Galway city, Maynooth, Limerick city, and Cork city record above-average attainment. Proximity to third-level institutions drives this.
South Dublin concentration: The highest attainment rates in Ireland sit in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and south Dublin suburbs — above 70% in the top electoral divisions.
Rural midlands gap: Counties like Longford, Roscommon, and Leitrim record third-level attainment well below the national average — often below 25% in individual EDs.
Urban peripheral estates: Outer city estates in Dublin, Cork, and Limerick show a different profile to rural low-attainment areas — higher density, higher unemployment, lower education.

Ireland's 40.9% rate ranks among the highest in the EU. It rose from about 37.7% in Census 2016 — a 3.2 percentage-point gain in six years. The national figure is climbing. But the 55-point gap between the top and bottom EDs has changed little since 2016. Whether the 2027 Census narrows that gap is the key question.

Map education by area

IrelandInsights shows third-level education attainment for every electoral division in Ireland using Census 2022 data. Overlay unemployment, home ownership, and age to build a complete picture of any area.

Education map Unemployment map Home ownership map

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Data: CSO Census 2022 · Education Attainment by Electoral Division · 3,420 Electoral Divisions