The latest CSO figures have shown Ireland's strengths in third-level education.
Almost half of people aged 25-64 in the midlands have a third level qualification.
The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office shows nationally, 52% of people in that age range in the country have graduated from a third-level institute, the highest in the EU.
That figure is also an increase of 10% in Ireland, compared to a decade ago.
Less than 3% of people in the region have only a primary level or no formal level of education, which is among the lowest in the country.