Ireland spends less on education than OECD average, new data shows
New OECD data reveals that Ireland spends less per student on education than the average of its peer nations. While Ireland performs well regarding teacher qualifications, the report comes as the government prepares for upcoming budget negotiations.
Why it matters
The findings provide a benchmark for Irish educational funding and may influence public debate regarding government spending priorities in the next budget cycle.
Ireland spends less on education per student than the average across all OECD countries, new data shows.
The data was contained in the Education at a Glance report, released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Tuesday.
It uses internationally comparable data on the structure, financing and performance of education systems across the 38 OECD member countries and other key partner countries.
When looking at Government expenditure on education, the report found the average expenditure per student across the OECD countries was US$13,601 in 2023, while in Ireland it was US$13,113.
In primary education , expenditure per student was US$12,943 in 2023 in Ireland and US$12,893 on average across the OECD.
In secondary education , it was US$12,699 in Ireland and US$14,291 on average across the OECD.
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