Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in Ireland

Ireland: Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment was 0.3323 in 2020. ▬ Flat

Latest (2020)
0.3323
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
21st
of 59 countries
All-time high
0.3589
in 2007
All-time low
0.2953
in 2018
Years of data
17
2004–2020

Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in Ireland, 2004–2020

00.10.20.30.42004201220202004: 0.3252005: 0.3152006: 0.3362007: 0.3592008: 0.3252009: 0.3212010: 0.3292011: 0.3312012: 0.3152013: 0.3272014: 0.3262015: 0.3072016: 0.3122017: 0.3152018: 0.2952019: 0.332020: 0.332

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 0.3323 for public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in Ireland peaked at 0.3589 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.2953, in 2018.

That places Ireland 21st out of 59 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in Ireland, 2004 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2004 0.3255
2005 0.3154 -3.1%
2006 0.3359 +6.5%
2007 0.3589 +6.8%
2008 0.3254 -9.3%
2009 0.3211 -1.3%
2010 0.3288 +2.4%
2011 0.3312 +0.7%
2012 0.3154 -4.8%
2013 0.3272 +3.7%
2014 0.3259 -0.4%
2015 0.3069 -5.8%
2016 0.312 +1.7%
2017 0.3154 +1.1%
2018 0.2953 -6.4%
2019 0.3298 +11.7%
2020 0.3323 +0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.3303 0.3154 0.3589 6
2010s 0.3188 0.2953 0.3312 10
2020s 0.3323 0.3323 0.3323 1

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 18 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 0.3455 compare
  2. 19 Greece 0.336 compare
  3. 20 France 0.3344 compare
  4. 22 Paraguay 0.3312 compare
  5. 23 Luxembourg 0.3291 compare
  6. 24 Peru 0.3282 compare

See the full ranking of 59 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in Ireland?
Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in Ireland was 0.3323 in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector employment, as a share of formal employment recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 0.3589 in 2007.
What is the lowest public sector employment, as a share of formal employment recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2953 in 2018.
How does Ireland rank for public sector employment, as a share of formal employment?
Ireland ranks 21st out of 59 countries with data for 2020.
Is public sector employment, as a share of formal employment rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in Ireland. Statizoid. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-employment-as-a-share-of-formal-employment/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
59 places, 781 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed