Duration of working life in Ireland

Ireland: Duration of working life was 40.7 Year in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
40.7 Year
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
10th
of 44 countries
All-time high
40.7 Year
in 2025
All-time low
33.2 Year
in 2000
Years of data
26
2000–2025

Duration of working life in Ireland, 2000–2025

0102030402000201220252000: 33.2 Year2001: 33.3 Year2002: 33.4 Year2003: 33.5 Year2004: 33.7 Year2005: 34.6 Year2006: 35.1 Year2007: 36.8 Year2008: 36.7 Year2009: 35.7 Year2010: 35.3 Year2011: 35.1 Year2012: 35.1 Year2013: 35.6 Year2014: 35.7 Year2015: 36 Year2016: 36.5 Year2017: 36.7 Year2018: 37 Year2019: 37.5 Year2020: 36.9 Year2021: 38.4 Year2022: 39.4 Year2023: 40 Year2024: 40.4 Year2025: 40.7 Year

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Year.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 40.7 Year for duration of working life in 2025. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 13.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, duration of working life in Ireland peaked at 40.7 Year in 2025 and was at its lowest, 33.2 Year, in 2000.

That places Ireland 10th out of 44 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Duration of working life in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Duration of working life in Ireland, 2000 to 2025.
Year Year Change
2000 33.2 Year —
2001 33.3 Year +0.3%
2002 33.4 Year +0.3%
2003 33.5 Year +0.3%
2004 33.7 Year +0.6%
2005 34.6 Year +2.7%
2006 35.1 Year +1.4%
2007 36.8 Year +4.8%
2008 36.7 Year -0.3%
2009 35.7 Year -2.7%
2010 35.3 Year -1.1%
2011 35.1 Year -0.6%
2012 35.1 Year +0.0%
2013 35.6 Year +1.4%
2014 35.7 Year +0.3%
2015 36 Year +0.8%
2016 36.5 Year +1.4%
2017 36.7 Year +0.5%
2018 37 Year +0.8%
2019 37.5 Year +1.4%
2020 36.9 Year -1.6%
2021 38.4 Year +4.1%
2022 39.4 Year +2.6%
2023 40 Year +1.5%
2024 40.4 Year +1.0%
2025 40.7 Year +0.7%

Ireland compared with similar countries

  • Ireland's 40.7 Year is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 38.1 Year, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
  • Ireland's 40.7 Year is above the median for high income countries, which is 38.6 Year, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 34.6 Year 33.2 Year 36.8 Year 10
2010s 36.05 Year 35.1 Year 37.5 Year 10
2020s 39.3 Year 36.9 Year 40.7 Year 6

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 7 Estonia 41.5 Year compare
  2. 7 Estonia 41.5 Year compare
  3. 9 Norway 41.4 Year compare
  4. 11 Germany 40.2 Year compare
  5. 12 Finland 40.1 Year compare
  6. 13 Portugal 39.7 Year compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is duration of working life in Ireland?
Duration of working life in Ireland was 40.7 Year in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest duration of working life recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 40.7 Year in 2025.
What is the lowest duration of working life recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 33.2 Year in 2000.
How does Ireland rank for duration of working life?
Ireland ranks 10th out of 44 countries with data for 2025.
Is duration of working life rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Duration of working life. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Duration of working life in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/duration-of-working-life/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Duration of working life
Unit
Year
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
46 places, 1,123 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed