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
10th
of 47 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. Measured in Percentage.
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 10th out of 47 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 | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 49.0% | — |
| 1984 | 47.2% | -3.7% |
| 1985 | 46.0% | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 45.9% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 46.1% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 46.2% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 46.6% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 48.0% | +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 | 58.0% | +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 | 63.0% | +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 | 57.0% | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 58.2% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 59.6% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 61.0% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 62.0% | +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% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 68.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 63.7%, 1.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 68.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 65.2%, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 46.7% | 45.9% | 49.0% | 7 |
| 1990s | 50.6% | 47.1% | 58.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.1% | 59.4% | 67.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.2% | 55.5% | 63.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.4% | 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 10th out of 47 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).