Labour dependency ratio in Ireland
Ireland: Labour dependency ratio was 0.97 in 2027. ▼ Falling
Labour dependency ratio in Ireland, 1991–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labour dependency ratio in Ireland is 0.97, measured in 2027.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour dependency ratio in Ireland peaked at 1.65 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.948, in 2023.
Ireland ranks 156th of 188 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.
Labour dependency ratio in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.65 | — |
| 1992 | 1.64 | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 1.62 | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 1.54 | -4.6% |
| 1995 | 1.43 | -7.3% |
| 1996 | 1.35 | -5.2% |
| 1997 | 1.32 | -2.7% |
| 1998 | 1.21 | -8.3% |
| 1999 | 1.14 | -5.7% |
| 2000 | 1.08 | -5.5% |
| 2001 | 1.05 | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 1.05 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 1.06 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 1.05 | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 1 | -4.8% |
| 2006 | 0.987 | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 0.982 | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 1.04 | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 1.25 | +19.9% |
| 2010 | 1.37 | +9.3% |
| 2011 | 1.43 | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 1.45 | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 1.39 | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 1.34 | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 1.28 | -4.3% |
| 2016 | 1.23 | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 1.19 | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 1.15 | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 1.12 | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 1.17 | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 1.1 | -6.4% |
| 2022 | 1.02 | -7.2% |
| 2023 | 0.948 | -6.8% |
| 2024 | 0.973 | +2.6% |
| 2025 | 0.974 | +0.1% |
| 2026 | 0.974 | +0.0% |
| 2027 | 0.97 | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.43 | 1.14 | 1.65 | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.06 | 0.982 | 1.25 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.29 | 1.12 | 1.45 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.02 | 0.948 | 1.17 | 8 |
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 labour dependency ratio in Ireland?
- Labour dependency ratio in Ireland was 0.97 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour dependency ratio recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.65 in 1991.
- What is the lowest labour dependency ratio recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.948 in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for labour dependency ratio?
- Ireland ranks 156th out of 188 countries with data for 2027.
- Is labour dependency ratio rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour dependency ratio (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. This indicator provides the ratio of dependents (persons aged 0 to 14 + persons aged 15 and above that are either outside the labour force or unemployed) to total employment. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.