Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Ireland

Ireland: Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) was 33.86 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
33.86
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
57th
of 75 countries
All-time high
43.55
in 1998
All-time low
33.38
in 2007
Years of data
28
1998–2025

Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Ireland, 1998–2025

0102030401998201120251998: 43.61999: 42.12000: 412001: 40.82002: 40.42003: 40.32004: 39.92005: 38.52006: 37.32007: 33.42008: 34.12009: 35.92010: 37.42011: 382012: 38.42013: 382014: 38.22015: 38.22016: 37.82017: 382018: 37.82019: 37.72020: 38.92021: 36.32022: 35.32023: 33.52024: 34.22025: 33.9

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2025, inactivity rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Ireland stood at 33.86.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, inactivity rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Ireland peaked at 43.55 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 33.38, in 2007.

Ireland ranks 57th of 75 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.

Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) in Ireland, 1998 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1998 43.55
1999 42.05 -3.4%
2000 41.02 -2.5%
2001 40.82 -0.5%
2002 40.4 -1.0%
2003 40.31 -0.2%
2004 39.93 -0.9%
2005 38.53 -3.5%
2006 37.26 -3.3%
2007 33.38 -10.4%
2008 34.06 +2.1%
2009 35.91 +5.4%
2010 37.4 +4.1%
2011 38.04 +1.7%
2012 38.36 +0.9%
2013 38.04 -0.8%
2014 38.25 +0.6%
2015 38.19 -0.2%
2016 37.82 -1.0%
2017 38.02 +0.5%
2018 37.84 -0.5%
2019 37.66 -0.5%
2020 38.88 +3.2%
2021 36.32 -6.6%
2022 35.32 -2.8%
2023 33.48 -5.2%
2024 34.2 +2.2%
2025 33.86 -1.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 42.8 42.05 43.55 2
2000s 38.16 33.38 41.02 10
2010s 37.96 37.4 38.36 10
2020s 35.34 33.48 38.88 6

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 54 Armenia 34.71 compare
  2. 55 Canada 34.55 compare
  3. 56 Norway 34.49 compare
  4. 58 Dominican Republic 33.7 compare
  5. 59 Estonia 33.57 compare
  6. 60 Australia 33.06 compare

See the full ranking of 75 places →

More gender data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is inactivity rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Ireland?
Inactivity rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Ireland was 33.86 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest inactivity rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 43.55 in 1998.
What is the lowest inactivity rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 33.38 in 2007.
How does Ireland rank for inactivity rate (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
Ireland ranks 57th out of 75 countries with data for 2025.
Is inactivity rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/inactivity-rate-previous-ilo-definition-icls13-15/ireland/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/inactivity-rate-previous-ilo-definition-icls13-15/ireland/">Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Ireland</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
75 places, 1,356 data points, 1987–2026
Last refreshed

This indicator conveys the number of persons of working age outside the labour force (that is, not employed or unemployed) expressed as a percentage of the working-age population. For more information, refer to the International Labour Migration Statistics (ILMS) database description.