Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Ireland
Ireland: Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services was 3.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Ireland, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 3.9% for share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and down 27.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Ireland peaked at 13.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 2025.
That places Ireland 140th 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.
Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 13.9% | — |
| 1992 | 13.5% | -2.9% |
| 1993 | 13.1% | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 12.6% | -3.9% |
| 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% | -7.5% |
| 2006 | 5.6% | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 5.4% | -3.4% |
| 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 | 4.8% | +7.4% |
| 2022 | 3.9% | -19.7% |
| 2023 | 4.6% | +19.9% |
| 2024 | 4.0% | -14.6% |
| 2025 | 3.9% | -2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.7% | 8.6% | 13.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.3% | 5.3% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.3% | 4.4% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.3% | 3.9% | 4.8% | 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 share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Ireland?
- Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Ireland was 3.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 13.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 2025.
- How does Ireland rank for share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services?
- Ireland ranks 140th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.6%. 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) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of total employment working in the agriculture sector.