Ireland education statistics by area — third-level attainment mapped

Third-level attainment ranges from 5.7% to 80.3% across Ireland's electoral divisions — against a national figure of 45% (Census 2022). The same EDs at the bottom of the education ranking tend to sit at the top of unemployment. The data is below.

Ireland education — Census 2022 overview

Areas with the highest third-level attainment

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

Areas with the lowest attainment

The lowest-attainment EDs 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.

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

Electoral divisions in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and parts of south Dublin city record some of the highest third-level attainment in Ireland. 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 record far lower attainment than the national figure of 45%. 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 — up to 80.3% in the highest-ranked electoral division.
• Rural midlands gap: Counties like Longford, Roscommon, and Leitrim record third-level attainment well below the national average.
• 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 45% rate (CSO measure) is up from 42.0% in Census 2016 (CSO Census 2016, Profile 10) — a 2.9 percentage-point gain in six years. The national figure is climbing. Whether the 2027 Census narrows the gap between the top and bottom EDs is the key question.

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