Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Ireland
Ireland: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 4.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Ireland, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 4.0% for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in 2023.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 30.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Ireland peaked at 14.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 4.0%, in 2022.
That places Ireland 139th out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 14.0% | — |
| 1992 | 13.6% | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 13.1% | -3.3% |
| 1994 | 12.6% | -4.1% |
| 1995 | 12.0% | -4.5% |
| 1996 | 11.2% | -6.4% |
| 1997 | 10.9% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 9.1% | -16.6% |
| 1999 | 8.6% | -5.1% |
| 2000 | 8.0% | -8.0% |
| 2001 | 7.1% | -10.6% |
| 2002 | 7.0% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 6.5% | -7.6% |
| 2004 | 6.4% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 5.9% | -7.3% |
| 2006 | 5.7% | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 5.4% | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 5.3% | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 5.6% | +5.8% |
| 2010 | 5.8% | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 5.7% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 5.8% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 5.8% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 5.4% | -5.8% |
| 2015 | 5.3% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 5.3% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 5.0% | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 4.8% | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 4.4% | -7.0% |
| 2020 | 4.5% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 4.5% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 4.0% | -11.2% |
| 2023 | 4.0% | +1.0% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 4.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.6%, 1.5× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 4.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.9%, 83% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.7% | 8.6% | 14.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.3% | 5.3% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.3% | 4.4% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.2% | 4.0% | 4.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More agriculture & rural data for Ireland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 22.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0106 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,391 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.9559 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3541 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Ireland?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Ireland was 4.0% in 2023, according to ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 14.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.0% in 2022.
- How does Ireland rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Ireland ranks 139th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of people employed in agriculture includes working-age people with a job in farming, forestry, fishing, and related activities, including those temporarily absent.