Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) … national in Ireland
Ireland: Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) … national was 52.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in Ireland, 1961–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in Ireland is 52.6%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and up 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in Ireland peaked at 71.1% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 43.5%, in 1996.
That places Ireland 41st out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 48 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) … national in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 71.1% | — |
| 1966 | 69.5% | -2.2% |
| 1971 | 63.2% | -9.0% |
| 1977 | 60.1% | -4.8% |
| 1981 | 60.6% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 60.4% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 59.0% | -2.3% |
| 1985 | 57.7% | -2.2% |
| 1986 | 56.4% | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 54.4% | -3.5% |
| 1988 | 52.2% | -3.9% |
| 1989 | 50.8% | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 49.9% | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 49.0% | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 46.0% | -6.1% |
| 1993 | 46.7% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 46.4% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 45.0% | -3.1% |
| 1996 | 43.5% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 45.6% | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 48.5% | +6.4% |
| 1999 | 50.6% | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 51.4% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 49.9% | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 48.7% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 49.4% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 48.9% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 50.5% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 52.7% | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 69.4% | +31.5% |
| 2008 | 66.0% | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 60.1% | -9.0% |
| 2010 | 53.9% | -10.3% |
| 2011 | 51.4% | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 50.3% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 49.9% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 48.1% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 47.4% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 50.5% | +6.4% |
| 2017 | 46.7% | -7.5% |
| 2018 | 46.7% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 47.1% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 43.7% | -7.2% |
| 2021 | 51.8% | +18.6% |
| 2022 | 51.5% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 57.1% | +11.0% |
| 2024 | 54.4% | -4.7% |
| 2025 | 52.6% | -3.4% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 52.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 40.5%, 1.3× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 52.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 35.5%, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) … national in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +31.5% | 52.7% | 69.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 70.3% | 69.5% | 71.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 61.7% | 60.1% | 63.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 56.5% | 50.8% | 60.6% | 8 |
| 1990s | 47.1% | 43.5% | 50.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.7% | 48.7% | 69.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.2% | 46.7% | 53.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.8% | 43.7% | 57.1% | 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 labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in Ireland?
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in Ireland was 52.6% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 71.1% in 1961.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.5% in 1996.
- How does Ireland rank for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%)?
- Ireland ranks 41st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 is the proportion of the population ages 15-24 that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.