Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland

Ireland: Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level was 78.4 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
78.4
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
16th
of 38 countries
All-time high
78.4
in 2025
All-time low
66.4
in 1999
Years of data
27
1999–2025

Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland, 1999–2025

0204060801999201220251999: 66.42000: 67.52001: 67.72002: 682003: 68.22004: 68.72005: 70.82006: 71.92007: 75.62008: 74.82009: 732010: 71.62011: 71.22012: 71.12013: 71.82014: 71.82015: 72.12016: 72.72017: 72.72018: 72.92019: 73.32020: 71.92021: 74.62022: 76.82023: 77.52024: 77.92025: 78.4

Source: Eurostat.

Analysis

In 2025, labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland stood at 78.4. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 8.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland peaked at 78.4 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 66.4, in 1999.

That places Ireland 16th out of 38 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level, citizenship and NUTS 2 region in Ireland, 1999 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1999 66.4
2000 67.5 +1.7%
2001 67.7 +0.3%
2002 68 +0.4%
2003 68.2 +0.3%
2004 68.7 +0.7%
2005 70.8 +3.1%
2006 71.9 +1.6%
2007 75.6 +5.1%
2008 74.8 -1.1%
2009 73 -2.4%
2010 71.6 -1.9%
2011 71.2 -0.6%
2012 71.1 -0.1%
2013 71.8 +1.0%
2014 71.8 +0.0%
2015 72.1 +0.4%
2016 72.7 +0.8%
2017 72.7 +0.0%
2018 72.9 +0.3%
2019 73.3 +0.5%
2020 71.9 -1.9%
2021 74.6 +3.8%
2022 76.8 +2.9%
2023 77.5 +0.9%
2024 77.9 +0.5%
2025 78.4 +0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 66.4 66.4 66.4 1
2000s 70.62 67.5 75.6 10
2010s 72.12 71.1 73.3 10
2020s 76.18 71.9 78.4 6

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 13 Austria 78.9 compare
  2. 14 Portugal 78.8 compare
  3. 15 Hungary 78.6 compare
  4. 17 United Kingdom 78.1 compare
  5. 18 Czechia 78 compare
  6. 19 Latvia 77.6 compare

See the full ranking of 476 places →

More work & labour data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland?
Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland was 78.4 in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest labour force participation rates by educational attainment level recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 78.4 in 2025.
What is the lowest labour force participation rates by educational attainment level recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 66.4 in 1999.
How does Ireland rank for labour force participation rates by educational attainment level?
Ireland ranks 16th out of 38 countries with data for 2025.
Is labour force participation rates by educational attainment level rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. 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, citizenship and NUTS 2 region. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-force-participation-rates-by-educational-attainment-level-citizenship-and-nuts-2/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level, citizenship and NUTS 2 region
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
476 places, 11,183 data points, 1999–2025
Last refreshed