Forty-two per cent of Irish people have a third-level qualification, according to the latest Census 2016 data, published today.
Women are in general better educated than men with just over 43% holding a third-level qualification, compared to just under 41% of men.
The Council area with the highest education levels is Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown where 61% of those over 15 have a third-level qualification.
This is followed by Galway City at 55.2%, and Dublin City, and Fingal which both had a qualification level of 48.7%.
The data from the Central Statistics Office found that the average age for completion of full-time education has risen slightly over the past five years. In 2011 it was 19.1 years. In 2016 it was 19.9 years.
Census 2016 reaffirms the connection between social class and educational attainment, as well as the strong influence that parents' level of education holds when it comes to a child's attainment.
In the 'Higher Professional' socioeconomic category, 94.4% of those aged 20 were at college.
The Census found that 65% of those aged 20 whose two parents had completed secondary school were full-time students. This compares to 45% of those whose parents left school at or before Junior Certificate level.
In terms of finding work, the data finds that those with a qualification in arts have the highest unemployment rate, at 11.6%. However this has fallen from 17% in 2011. Those with a qualification in education have the lowest unemployment rate, at 3%.
Meanwhile, figures released today also show that the amount of young people in the Gaeltacht who speak Irish on a daily basis outside the education system has decreased since the previous census in 2011.
