Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ireland
Ireland: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 13.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ireland, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ireland is 13.4%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 18.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ireland peaked at 24.0% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 13.4%, in 2025.
That places Ireland 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 23.5% | — |
| 1992 | 24.0% | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 23.4% | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 22.6% | -3.1% |
| 1995 | 22.1% | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 20.9% | -5.6% |
| 1997 | 20.8% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 20.3% | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 19.3% | -5.1% |
| 2000 | 19.1% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 18.3% | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 18.0% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 17.7% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 17.9% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 17.4% | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 16.2% | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 16.3% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 16.8% | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 17.5% | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 17.2% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 16.8% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 16.8% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 17.0% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 16.8% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 16.5% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 16.2% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 15.4% | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 15.0% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 14.4% | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 14.5% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 14.2% | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 14.0% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 14.1% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 13.4% | -4.6% |
| 2025 | 13.4% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.9% | 19.3% | 24.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 17.5% | 16.2% | 19.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.2% | 14.4% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.9% | 13.4% | 14.5% | 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 self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ireland?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ireland was 13.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 24.0% in 1992.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.4% in 2025.
- How does Ireland rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Ireland ranks 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs." i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include sub-categories of employers, own-account workers and members of producers' cooperatives and contributing family workers.