Labour force: quarterly data … quarterly data level in Ireland
Ireland: Labour force: quarterly data … quarterly data level was 71.8% in 2026. ▲ Rising
Latest (2026)
71.8%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
12th
of 47 countries
All-time high
71.8%
in 2026
All-time low
60.0%
in 1998
Years of data
29
1998–2026
Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland, 1998–2026
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 71.8% for labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in 2026. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland peaked at 71.8% in 2026 and was at its lowest, 60.0%, in 1998.
That places Ireland 12th out of 47 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Labour force: quarterly data … quarterly data level in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 60.0% | — |
| 1999 | 62.7% | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 63.1% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 63.6% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 63.5% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 64.1% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 64.9% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 66.1% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 67.1% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 70.2% | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 69.0% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 67.0% | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 66.0% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 65.9% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 65.3% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 66.1% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 65.9% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 66.1% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 66.4% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 66.7% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 66.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 67.5% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 66.0% | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 70.5% | +6.8% |
| 2022 | 70.0% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 70.9% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 71.1% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 71.6% | +0.7% |
| 2026 | 71.8% | +0.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 71.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 68.5%, 1.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 71.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 69.3%, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 61.4% | 60.0% | 62.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 65.9% | 63.1% | 70.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.3% | 65.3% | 67.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.3% | 66.0% | 71.8% | 7 |
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 force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland?
- Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland was 71.8% in 2026, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest labour force participation rates by educational attainment level recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 71.8% in 2026.
- What is the lowest labour force participation rates by educational attainment level recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.0% in 1998.
- How does Ireland rank for labour force participation rates by educational attainment level?
- Ireland ranks 12th out of 47 countries with data for 2026.
- Is labour force participation rates by educational attainment level rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. 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 - quarterly data. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).