Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Ireland
Ireland: Over-qualification rates by citizenship was 27.1% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Ireland, 1995–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
In 2025, over-qualification rates by citizenship in Ireland stood at 27.1%.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, over-qualification rates by citizenship in Ireland peaked at 33.7% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 24.5%, in 2000.
That places Ireland 5th out of 45 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 30.8% | — |
| 1996 | 33.2% | +7.8% |
| 1997 | 33.7% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 24.8% | -26.4% |
| 2000 | 24.5% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 25.3% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 25.9% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 26.5% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 27.2% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 30.0% | +10.3% |
| 2006 | 30.8% | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 30.2% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 30.0% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 29.3% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 28.9% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 30.1% | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 28.9% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 30.2% | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 29.8% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 29.2% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 28.6% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 29.4% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 29.6% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 30.0% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 29.5% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 28.6% | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 28.4% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 28.0% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 27.4% | -2.1% |
| 2025 | 27.1% | -1.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 27.1% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 20.1%, 1.3× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 27.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.0%, 1.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | -26.4% | 33.7% | 24.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 30.6% | 24.8% | 33.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 28.0% | 24.5% | 30.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.5% | 28.6% | 30.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.2% | 27.1% | 29.5% | 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 over-qualification rates by citizenship in Ireland?
- Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Ireland was 27.1% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 33.7% in 1997.
- What is the lowest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.5% in 2000.
- How does Ireland rank for over-qualification rates by citizenship?
- Ireland ranks 5th out of 45 countries with data for 2025.
- Is over-qualification rates by citizenship rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Over-qualification rates by citizenship. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).