Unemployment rate,Percent in Ireland

Ireland: Unemployment rate,Percent was 4.6% in 2026. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2026)
4.6%
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
43rd
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

57.51012.5151990200820261990: 13.41991: 14.71992: 15.41993: 15.61994: 14.31995: 12.31996: 11.71997: 9.91998: 7.51999: 5.92000: 4.42001: 4.22002: 4.72003: 4.82004: 4.82005: 4.62006: 4.82007: 52008: 6.82009: 12.72010: 14.62011: 15.42012: 15.52013: 13.82014: 11.92015: 9.92016: 8.42017: 6.82018: 5.82019: 52020: 5.82021: 6.32022: 4.52023: 4.32024: 4.32025: 4.72026: 4.6

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 4.6% for unemployment rate,percent in 2026.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 45.1% 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 43rd 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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 4.9% 4.3% 6.3% 7

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 40 Kazakhstan 4.8% compare
  2. 41 Sri Lanka 4.7% compare
  3. 42 Slovenia 4.6% compare
  4. 44 Norway 4.5% compare
  5. 45 Croatia 4.5% compare
  6. 46 Iceland 4.5% compare

See the full ranking of 80 places β†’

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment rate,percent in Ireland?
Unemployment rate,percent in Ireland was 4.6% 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 43rd 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 45.1%. 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 Β· JSON β€” 37 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Unemployment rate,Percent,,,
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
80 places, 2,196 data points, 1990–2026
Last refreshed