Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Ireland
Ireland: Industry jobs as a share of total employment was 18.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Ireland, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 18.2% for industry jobs as a share of total employment in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industry jobs as a share of total employment in Ireland peaked at 28.9% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 17.0%, in 2012.
That places Ireland 107th 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.
Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 27.5% | — |
| 1992 | 27.4% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 27.2% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 27.8% | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 27.8% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 27.3% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 28.5% | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 28.7% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 28.3% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 28.5% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 28.9% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 27.6% | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 27.7% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 27.6% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 27.8% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 27.7% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 25.8% | -6.8% |
| 2008 | 23.3% | -9.6% |
| 2009 | 19.9% | -14.7% |
| 2010 | 18.1% | -8.9% |
| 2011 | 17.5% | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 17.0% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 17.2% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 17.3% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 18.1% | +4.7% |
| 2016 | 18.5% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 18.8% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 18.8% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 18.8% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 18.8% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 19.1% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 19.4% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 17.3% | -10.8% |
| 2024 | 18.5% | +6.8% |
| 2025 | 18.2% | -1.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 18.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 19.9%, 92% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 18.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 23.3%, 78% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.8% | 27.2% | 28.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 26.5% | 19.9% | 28.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.0% | 17.0% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.5% | 17.3% | 19.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More reference data data for Ireland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0921 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5015 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is industry jobs as a share of total employment in Ireland?
- Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Ireland was 18.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 28.9% in 2001.
- What is the lowest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.0% in 2012.
- How does Ireland rank for industry jobs as a share of total employment?
- Ireland ranks 107th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is industry jobs as a share of total employment rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. 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) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Industry jobs as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of total employment working in the industry sector.