Female share of the labor force in Ireland
Ireland: Female share of the labor force was 46.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Female share of the labor force in Ireland, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 46.9% for female share of the labor force in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female share of the labor force in Ireland peaked at 46.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 35.1%, in 1990.
That places Ireland 67th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Female share of the labor force in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 35.1% | — |
| 1991 | 35.4% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 36.2% | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 37.0% | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 37.6% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 38.2% | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 38.9% | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 39.4% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 40.0% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 40.5% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 41.0% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 41.2% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 41.8% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 42.0% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 41.9% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 42.2% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 42.4% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 43.0% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 43.5% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 44.3% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 44.8% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 45.1% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 45.2% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 45.4% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 45.3% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 45.2% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 45.5% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 45.7% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 45.9% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 45.9% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 45.9% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 46.3% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 46.7% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 46.2% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 46.8% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 46.9% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37.8% | 35.1% | 40.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.3% | 41.0% | 44.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.4% | 44.8% | 45.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.5% | 45.9% | 46.9% | 6 |
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 female share of the labor force in Ireland?
- Female share of the labor force in Ireland was 46.9% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female share of the labor force recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 46.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest female share of the labor force recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.1% in 1990.
- How does Ireland rank for female share of the labor force?
- Ireland ranks 67th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female share of the labor force rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Female share of the labor force. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the working-age population economically active (employed or unemployed) who are female.