Employment by status in Ireland
Ireland: Employment by status was 86.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Ireland, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment by status in Ireland is 86.6%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Ireland peaked at 86.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 76.0%, in 1992.
That places Ireland 36th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Employment by status in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 76.5% | — |
| 1992 | 76.0% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 76.6% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 77.4% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 77.9% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 79.1% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 79.2% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 79.7% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 80.7% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 80.9% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 81.7% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 82.0% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 82.3% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 82.1% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 82.6% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 83.8% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 83.7% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 83.2% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 82.5% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 82.8% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 83.2% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 83.2% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 83.0% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 83.2% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 83.5% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 83.8% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 84.6% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 85.0% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 85.6% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 85.5% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 85.8% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 86.0% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 85.9% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 86.6% | +0.8% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 86.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 86.7%, 100% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 86.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 85.3%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 78.1% | 76.0% | 80.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 82.5% | 80.9% | 83.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.8% | 82.8% | 85.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.0% | 85.5% | 86.6% | 5 |
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 employment by status in Ireland?
- Employment by status in Ireland was 86.6% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 86.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.0% in 1992.
- How does Ireland rank for employment by status?
- Ireland ranks 36th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.