Labor force, total in Ireland
Ireland: Labor force, total was 2.91 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, total in Ireland, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 2.91 million for labor force, total in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 27.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total in Ireland peaked at 2.91 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.55 million, in 1990.
Ireland ranks 113th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.69 million | 1.55 million | 1.86 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.14 million | 1.92 million | 2.35 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.31 million | 2.22 million | 2.47 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.73 million | 2.46 million | 2.91 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- Population ages 15-64 65.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 18.1% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 96.5% (2022)
- Primary education, teachers 42,162 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female 97.6% (2022)
- School enrollment, primary, male 95.5% (2022)
- Labor force, female 46.9% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 0.9965 GPI (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, total in Ireland?
- Labor force, total in Ireland was 2.91 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.91 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.55 million in 1990.
- How does Ireland rank for labor force, total?
- Ireland ranks 113th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.