Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Ireland

Ireland: Wage bill as a percentage of GDP was 5.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
5.9%
Change on year
down 5.9%
World rank
132nd
of 190 countries
All-time high
12.2%
in 2009
All-time low
5.9%
in 2022
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Ireland, 2000–2022

02.557.51012.52000201120222000: 8.22001: 8.62002: 8.82003: 9.22004: 9.32005: 9.72006: 9.82007: 10.12008: 11.32009: 12.22010: 11.52011: 122012: 11.22013: 10.52014: 9.82015: 7.42016: 7.42017: 7.12018: 6.82019: 6.62020: 6.72021: 6.22022: 5.9

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 5.9% for wage bill as a percentage of gdp in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is down 5.9% on the previous year and down 47.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Ireland peaked at 12.2% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 5.9%, in 2022.

That places Ireland 132nd out of 190 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 9.7% 8.2% 12.2% 10
2010s 9.0% 6.6% 12.0% 10
2020s 6.2% 5.9% 6.7% 3

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 129 Malawi 6.1% compare
  2. 130 Azerbaijan 6.0% compare
  3. 131 Mongolia 5.9% compare
  4. 133 Thailand 5.8% compare
  5. 134 Bahamas 5.7% compare
  6. 135 Djibouti 5.7% compare

See the full ranking of 190 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Ireland?
Wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Ireland was 5.9% in 2022, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 12.2% in 2009.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 5.9% in 2022.
How does Ireland rank for wage bill as a percentage of gdp?
Ireland ranks 132nd out of 190 countries with data for 2022.
Is wage bill as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 47.7%. 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 Wage bill as a percentage of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Ireland. Statizoid. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-gdp/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Wage bill as a percentage of GDP
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
190 places, 4,104 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed