According to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office, just over 28pc of the population aged 25 to 64 had a third-level qualification in 2005. This compares favourably to 24.4pc in the second quarter of 2002. Of the 25 to 34-year-olds, almost 40pc had a third-level qualification in 2005, which compares to a figure of just over 34pc three years previously.