Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland
Ireland: Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level was 70.8 in 2026. ▲ Rising
Latest (2026)
70.8
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
11th
of 35 countries
All-time high
71.6
in 2025
All-time low
60
in 1998
Years of data
29
1998–2026
Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland, 1998–2026
Source: Eurostat.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 70.8 for labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in 2026.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland peaked at 71.6 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 60, in 1998.
That places Ireland 11th out of 35 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 60 | — |
| 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 | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 67 | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 66 | -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 | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 70.5 | +6.8% |
| 2022 | 70 | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 70.9 | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 71.1 | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 71.6 | +0.7% |
| 2026 | 70.8 | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 61.35 | 60 | 62.7 | 2 |
| 2000s | 65.86 | 63.1 | 70.2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.27 | 65.3 | 67.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.13 | 66 | 71.6 | 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 70.8 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 71.6 in 2025.
- What is the lowest labour force participation rates by educational attainment level recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 60 in 1998.
- How does Ireland rank for labour force participation rates by educational attainment level?
- Ireland ranks 11th out of 35 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 6.6%. 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).