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

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

Latest (2020)
0.3323
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
17th
of 75 countries
All-time high
0.3559
in 2007
All-time low
0.296
in 2018
Years of data
17
2004–2020

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

00.10.20.30.42004201220202004: 0.3242005: 0.3142006: 0.3322007: 0.3562008: 0.3232009: 0.322010: 0.3262011: 0.3322012: 0.3142013: 0.3262014: 0.3252015: 0.3072016: 0.3122017: 0.3162018: 0.2962019: 0.3292020: 0.332

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

The most recent figure for public sector employment, as a share of paid employment in Ireland is 0.3323, measured in 2020.

The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 1.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment, as a share of paid employment in Ireland peaked at 0.3559 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.296, in 2018.

That places Ireland 17th out of 75 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Annual values for Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment in Ireland, 2004 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2004 0.324
2005 0.3135 -3.2%
2006 0.3317 +5.8%
2007 0.3559 +7.3%
2008 0.3234 -9.1%
2009 0.3201 -1.0%
2010 0.3263 +1.9%
2011 0.3322 +1.8%
2012 0.3139 -5.5%
2013 0.3263 +4.0%
2014 0.3251 -0.4%
2015 0.3069 -5.6%
2016 0.3124 +1.8%
2017 0.3159 +1.1%
2018 0.296 -6.3%
2019 0.3295 +11.3%
2020 0.3323 +0.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.3281 0.3135 0.3559 6
2010s 0.3184 0.296 0.3322 10
2020s 0.3323 0.3323 0.3323 1

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 14 Iceland 0.3446 compare
  2. 15 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 0.3398 compare
  3. 16 Greece 0.3333 compare
  4. 18 France 0.3299 compare
  5. 19 Luxembourg 0.3292 compare
  6. 20 Malta 0.3275 compare

See the full ranking of 75 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector employment, as a share of paid employment in Ireland?
Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment in Ireland was 0.3323 in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector employment, as a share of paid employment recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 0.3559 in 2007.
What is the lowest public sector employment, as a share of paid employment recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.296 in 2018.
How does Ireland rank for public sector employment, as a share of paid employment?
Ireland ranks 17th out of 75 countries with data for 2020.
Is public sector employment, as a share of paid employment rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. 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 paid employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment in Ireland. Statizoid. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-employment-as-a-share-of-paid-employment/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
75 places, 979 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed