Number of people employed in agriculture in Ireland
Ireland: Number of people employed in agriculture was 103,573 people in 2025. ▼ Falling
Number of people employed in agriculture in Ireland, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 103,573 people for number of people employed in agriculture in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people employed in agriculture in Ireland peaked at 185,177 people in 1991 and was at its lowest, 97,846 people, in 2022.
That places Ireland 135th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Number of people employed in agriculture in Ireland, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 185,177 people | — |
| 1992 | 181,626 people | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 179,059 people | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 177,709 people | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 178,551 people | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 173,694 people | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 172,919 people | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 152,990 people | -11.5% |
| 1999 | 151,582 people | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 145,626 people | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 133,884 people | -8.1% |
| 2002 | 134,432 people | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 125,917 people | -6.3% |
| 2004 | 126,138 people | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 122,265 people | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 120,997 people | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 120,593 people | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 115,957 people | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 112,498 people | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 110,688 people | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 108,049 people | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 108,808 people | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 111,986 people | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 108,296 people | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 109,567 people | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 112,635 people | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 110,830 people | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 107,791 people | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 102,979 people | -4.5% |
| 2020 | 102,805 people | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 115,448 people | +12.3% |
| 2022 | 97,846 people | -15.2% |
| 2023 | 123,524 people | +26.2% |
| 2024 | 105,271 people | -14.8% |
| 2025 | 103,573 people | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 172,590 people | 151,582 people | 185,177 people | 9 |
| 2000s | 125,831 people | 112,498 people | 145,626 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 109,163 people | 102,979 people | 112,635 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 108,078 people | 97,846 people | 123,524 people | 6 |
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 number of people employed in agriculture in Ireland?
- Number of people employed in agriculture in Ireland was 103,573 people in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 185,177 people in 1991.
- What is the lowest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 97,846 people in 2022.
- How does Ireland rank for number of people employed in agriculture?
- Ireland ranks 135th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people employed in agriculture rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people employed in agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of people working in agriculture, including hunting, forestry and fishing.