Number of third-level graduates doubles

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown has the highest proportion of college graduates in the country, while Limerick City has the lowest.

According to the latest CSO Census 2012 release, two in five people in the 15 and over age bracket in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown are college graduates, while just 17% in Limerick City are similarly qualified.

Overall, the census found the numbers of those with a third-level qualification has more than doubled in the two decades — rising from just 14% in 1991 to 31% by 2011. This growth was more pronounced for women that men.

Galway City, with 31.3%, had the second highest rate overall, considerably higher than either Cork (22.1%) or Waterford City (19.7%). In Dublin City 28.2% of the population had a third-level qualification.

Just over one in five people in Donegal in the 15 and over age category failed to go beyond primary level, the highest for any county on the census night.

The other Ulster counties of Monaghan and Cavan also had high rates (17.6% and 16.5%) as did Mayo, Wexford, and Longford — all with more than 16%.

Of the cities, Limerick had the highest percentage of people educated no further than primary school at 15%, followed by Dublin City (14%) and Waterford (13%). Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown had the lowest with 6.5% followed by Galway City (6.9%) and Fingal (7.3%).

Teachers and educational professionals contained the highest proportion of third- level graduates, with 88% or 86,592 people having at least an ordinary Bachelor degree or national diploma.

Fewer than half (42%) of corporate managers and directors held a third-level degree or higher qualification.

Meanwhile, the CSO study also found that more than 77,000 people across Ireland speak Irish on a daily basis.

More than half of the population of Galway indicated they could speak Irish, the highest of any county. Clare (48%), North Tipperary (47%), and Limerick county (47%) were the next highest, while Dublin City (32%), South Dublin (36%), and Louth (36%) had the lowest percentage of Irish speakers.

In Gaeltacht areas, a total of 66,238 people (68.5%) said they could speak Irish. Although this showed a slight increase in numbers, the proportion who spoke Irish has dropped from 70% in 2006.

Daily Irish speakers were also found to be more highly educated than the population generally.