Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and in Ireland

Ireland: Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and was 66.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
66.1%
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
9th
of 45 countries
All-time high
66.6%
in 2007
All-time low
53.9%
in 1995
Years of data
31
1995–2025

Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and in Ireland, 1995–2025

02040601995201020251995: 53.9 Percentage1996: 54.8 Percentage1997: 55.4 Percentage1998: 56.4 Percentage1999: 57.9 Percentage2000: 59 Percentage2001: 59.2 Percentage2002: 59.6 Percentage2003: 59.7 Percentage2004: 60.1 Percentage2005: 62 Percentage2006: 63.2 Percentage2007: 66.6 Percentage2008: 65.9 Percentage2009: 64.1 Percentage2010: 62.6 Percentage2011: 62 Percentage2012: 61.6 Percentage2013: 62 Percentage2014: 61.8 Percentage2015: 61.8 Percentage2016: 62.2 Percentage2017: 62 Percentage2018: 62.2 Percentage2019: 62.3 Percentage2020: 61.1 Percentage2021: 63.4 Percentage2022: 64.9 Percentage2023: 65.5 Percentage2024: 65.8 Percentage2025: 66.1 Percentage

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.

Analysis

In 2025, labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and in Ireland stood at 66.1%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and in Ireland peaked at 66.6% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 53.9%, in 1995.

Ireland ranks 9th of 45 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and citizenship in Ireland, 1995 to 2025.
Year Percentage Change
1995 53.9%
1996 54.8% +1.7%
1997 55.4% +1.1%
1998 56.4% +1.8%
1999 57.9% +2.7%
2000 59.0% +1.9%
2001 59.2% +0.3%
2002 59.6% +0.7%
2003 59.7% +0.2%
2004 60.1% +0.7%
2005 62.0% +3.2%
2006 63.2% +1.9%
2007 66.6% +5.4%
2008 65.9% -1.1%
2009 64.1% -2.7%
2010 62.6% -2.3%
2011 62.0% -1.0%
2012 61.6% -0.6%
2013 62.0% +0.6%
2014 61.8% -0.3%
2015 61.8% +0.0%
2016 62.2% +0.6%
2017 62.0% -0.3%
2018 62.2% +0.3%
2019 62.3% +0.2%
2020 61.1% -1.9%
2021 63.4% +3.8%
2022 64.9% +2.4%
2023 65.5% +0.9%
2024 65.8% +0.5%
2025 66.1% +0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 55.7% 53.9% 57.9% 5
2000s 61.9% 59.0% 66.6% 10
2010s 62.0% 61.6% 62.6% 10
2020s 64.5% 61.1% 66.1% 6

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 6 Switzerland 67.3% compare
  2. 7 Estonia 66.4% compare
  3. 7 Estonia 66.4% compare
  4. 10 Norway 65.5% compare
  5. 11 Cyprus 65.2% compare
  6. 11 Denmark 65.2% compare

See the full ranking of 47 places →

More work & labour data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and in Ireland?
Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and in Ireland was 66.1% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 66.6% in 2007.
What is the lowest labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 53.9% in 1995.
How does Ireland rank for labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and?
Ireland ranks 9th out of 45 countries with data for 2025.
Is labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. 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 Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and citizenship. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-force-participation-rates-by-educational-attainment-level-and-citizenship/ireland/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-force-participation-rates-by-educational-attainment-level-and-citizenship/ireland/">Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and in Ireland</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level and citizenship
Unit
Percentage
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
47 places, 1,285 data points, 1995–2025
Last refreshed