Employment rates by educational attainment level in Ireland
Ireland: Employment rates by educational attainment level was 68.5 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
68.5
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
9th
of 35 countries
All-time high
68.5
in 2025
All-time low
45.9
in 1986
Years of data
43
1983–2025
Employment rates by educational attainment level in Ireland, 1983–2025
Source: Eurostat.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 68.5 for employment rates by educational attainment level in 2025. That is the highest value across all 43 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rates by educational attainment level in Ireland peaked at 68.5 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 45.9, in 1986.
That places Ireland 9th out of 35 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Employment rates by educational attainment level in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 49 | — |
| 1984 | 47.2 | -3.7% |
| 1985 | 46 | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 45.9 | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 46.1 | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 46.2 | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 46.6 | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 48 | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 47.3 | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 47.1 | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 47.5 | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 48.7 | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 50.2 | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 51.1 | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 52.4 | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 55.4 | +5.7% |
| 1999 | 58 | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 59.9 | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 60.6 | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 60.6 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 60.6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 60.9 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 63 | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 64.1 | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 67.1 | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 65.1 | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 59.4 | -8.8% |
| 2010 | 56.8 | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 55.8 | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 55.5 | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 57 | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 58.2 | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 59.6 | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 61 | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 62 | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 62.9 | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 63.7 | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 62.1 | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 64.2 | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 67.1 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | 67.9 | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 68.3 | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 68.5 | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 46.71 | 45.9 | 49 | 7 |
| 1990s | 50.57 | 47.1 | 58 | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.13 | 59.4 | 67.1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.25 | 55.5 | 63.7 | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.35 | 62.1 | 68.5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More work & labour data for Ireland
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4574 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4405 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9335 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 4,354 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,447 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,638 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,649 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,286 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rates by educational attainment level in Ireland?
- Employment rates by educational attainment level in Ireland was 68.5 in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest employment rates by educational attainment level recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 68.5 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment rates by educational attainment level recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.9 in 1986.
- How does Ireland rank for employment rates by educational attainment level?
- Ireland ranks 9th out of 35 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rates by educational attainment level rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Employment rates by educational attainment level. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).