Unemployment rate,Percent in Ireland
Ireland: Unemployment rate,Percent was 5.0% in 2026. ▼ Falling
Latest (2026)
5.0%
Change on year
up 7.6%
World rank
39th
of 71 countries
All-time high
15.6%
in 1993
All-time low
4.2%
in 2001
Years of data
37
1990–2026
Unemployment rate,Percent in Ireland, 1990–2026
Source: World Bank.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 5.0% for unemployment rate,percent in 2026.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.6% on the previous year and down 40.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate,percent in Ireland peaked at 15.6% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 2001.
Ireland ranks 39th of 71 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.
Unemployment rate,Percent in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 13.4% | — |
| 1991 | 14.7% | +9.8% |
| 1992 | 15.4% | +4.5% |
| 1993 | 15.6% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 14.3% | -8.2% |
| 1995 | 12.3% | -14.4% |
| 1996 | 11.7% | -5.2% |
| 1997 | 9.9% | -15.4% |
| 1998 | 7.5% | -23.4% |
| 1999 | 5.9% | -21.6% |
| 2000 | 4.4% | -25.9% |
| 2001 | 4.2% | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 4.7% | +12.9% |
| 2003 | 4.8% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 4.8% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 4.6% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 4.8% | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 5.0% | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 6.8% | +35.8% |
| 2009 | 12.7% | +86.2% |
| 2010 | 14.6% | +15.3% |
| 2011 | 15.4% | +5.6% |
| 2012 | 15.5% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 13.8% | -11.2% |
| 2014 | 11.9% | -13.5% |
| 2015 | 9.9% | -16.6% |
| 2016 | 8.4% | -15.4% |
| 2017 | 6.8% | -19.6% |
| 2018 | 5.8% | -13.8% |
| 2019 | 5.0% | -14.0% |
| 2020 | 5.8% | +16.8% |
| 2021 | 6.3% | +7.3% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | -29.0% |
| 2023 | 4.3% | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 4.3% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 4.7% | +8.3% |
| 2026 | 5.0% | +7.6% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 5.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.0%, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 5.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.2%, 96% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.1% | 5.9% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.7% | 4.2% | 12.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.7% | 5.0% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.0% | 4.3% | 6.3% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 36 Bulgaria 5.2% compare
- 37 Philippines 5.2% compare
- 38 Dominican Republic 5.1% compare
- 40 Slovakia 5.0% compare
- 41 United Kingdom 4.8% compare
- 42 Kazakhstan 4.8% compare
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 unemployment rate,percent in Ireland?
- Unemployment rate,percent in Ireland was 5.0% in 2026, according to the World Bank.
- What is the highest unemployment rate,percent recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 15.6% in 1993.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate,percent recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 2001.
- How does Ireland rank for unemployment rate,percent?
- Ireland ranks 39th out of 71 countries with data for 2026.
- Is unemployment rate,percent rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Unemployment rate,Percent,,,. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).