Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Ireland
Ireland: Public sector employment as a share of total employment was 29.3% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Ireland, 2004–2020
Source: World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 29.3% for public sector employment as a share of total employment in 2020. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public sector employment as a share of total employment in Ireland peaked at 29.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 24.9%, in 2018.
That places Ireland 9th out of 79 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 26.1% | — |
| 2005 | 25.5% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 27.3% | +7.1% |
| 2007 | 28.7% | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 27.0% | -5.9% |
| 2009 | 26.6% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 26.8% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 28.1% | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 26.7% | -5.0% |
| 2013 | 27.5% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 27.3% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 26.1% | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 26.6% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 26.7% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 24.9% | -6.9% |
| 2019 | 28.2% | +13.5% |
| 2020 | 29.3% | +4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 26.9% | 25.5% | 28.7% | 6 |
| 2010s | 26.9% | 24.9% | 28.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.3% | 29.3% | 29.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 6 Luxembourg 31.5% compare
- 7 Republic of Moldova 30.3% compare
- 8 Iceland 29.9% compare
- 10 France 28.9% compare
- 11 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 28.9% compare
- 12 Malta 28.6% compare
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 public sector employment as a share of total employment in Ireland?
- Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Ireland was 29.3% in 2020, according to World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 29.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.9% in 2018.
- How does Ireland rank for public sector employment as a share of total employment?
- Ireland ranks 9th out of 79 countries with data for 2020.
- Is public sector employment as a share of total employment rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Public sector employment as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of all employed people who are paid employees of the public sector, including government, the armed forces, public services, and state-owned enterprises.