Self-employed persons by occupation in Ireland

Ireland: Self-employed persons by occupation was 350.2 Thousand persons in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
350.2 Thousand persons
Change on year
up 5.3%
World rank
21st
of 36 countries
All-time high
350.2 Thousand persons
in 2025
All-time low
226.3 Thousand persons
in 1985
Years of data
43
1983–2025

Self-employed persons by occupation in Ireland, 1983–2025

01002003004001983200420251983: 233.7 Thousand persons1984: 233.8 Thousand persons1985: 226.3 Thousand persons1986: 228.1 Thousand persons1987: 232.1 Thousand persons1988: 240.3 Thousand persons1989: 238.2 Thousand persons1990: 252 Thousand persons1991: 239.5 Thousand persons1992: 251.6 Thousand persons1993: 246.6 Thousand persons1994: 249.8 Thousand persons1995: 257 Thousand persons1996: 254.2 Thousand persons1997: 262.9 Thousand persons1998: 278.6 Thousand persons1999: 281.1 Thousand persons2000: 292.6 Thousand persons2001: 293.6 Thousand persons2002: 296.9 Thousand persons2003: 294.8 Thousand persons2004: 310.8 Thousand persons2005: 313.3 Thousand persons2006: 314.5 Thousand persons2007: 338.9 Thousand persons2008: 345.1 Thousand persons2009: 328 Thousand persons2010: 308.1 Thousand persons2011: 298.9 Thousand persons2012: 294.3 Thousand persons2013: 307.3 Thousand persons2014: 312.1 Thousand persons2015: 315.3 Thousand persons2016: 321.3 Thousand persons2017: 317.8 Thousand persons2018: 317.7 Thousand persons2019: 315.5 Thousand persons2020: 310 Thousand persons2021: 308.4 Thousand persons2022: 331.4 Thousand persons2023: 331.1 Thousand persons2024: 332.6 Thousand persons2025: 350.2 Thousand persons

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Thousand persons.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 350.2 Thousand persons for self-employed persons by occupation in 2025. That is the highest value across all 43 years on record.

That represents a change of up 5.3% on the previous year and up 11.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-employed persons by occupation in Ireland peaked at 350.2 Thousand persons in 2025 and was at its lowest, 226.3 Thousand persons, in 1985.

Ireland ranks 21st of 36 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 233.21 Thousand persons 226.3 Thousand persons 240.3 Thousand persons 7
1990s 257.33 Thousand persons 239.5 Thousand persons 281.1 Thousand persons 10
2000s 312.85 Thousand persons 292.6 Thousand persons 345.1 Thousand persons 10
2010s 310.83 Thousand persons 294.3 Thousand persons 321.3 Thousand persons 10
2020s 327.28 Thousand persons 308.4 Thousand persons 350.2 Thousand persons 6

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 18 Serbia 454.1 Thousand persons compare
  2. 19 Slovakia 397.8 Thousand persons compare
  3. 20 Bulgaria 372 Thousand persons compare
  4. 22 Finland 304.4 Thousand persons compare
  5. 23 Croatia 211.6 Thousand persons compare
  6. 24 Denmark 207.4 Thousand persons compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More work & labour data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed persons by occupation in Ireland?
Self-employed persons by occupation in Ireland was 350.2 Thousand persons in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 350.2 Thousand persons in 2025.
What is the lowest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 226.3 Thousand persons in 1985.
How does Ireland rank for self-employed persons by occupation?
Ireland ranks 21st out of 36 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-employed persons by occupation rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. 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 Self-employed persons by occupation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Self-employed persons by occupation
Unit
Thousand persons
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
38 places, 1,169 data points, 1983–2025
Last refreshed