The Gross Output of the Green Economy (Environment Goods and Services sector) was €10.7 billion in 2022. This was up 21% on the previous year and was mainly driven by the increased output of the Energy sector. The output of the Construction sector also rose in 2022, after a lower output in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
In 2022, the Gross Value Added (GVA) of the Green Economy was estimated at €4.4 billion, while employment in the Green Economy totalled 43,600 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs).
Environment Protection Activities accounted for €4.6 billion (43%) of the total environment Gross Output in 2022, with Resource Management Activities accounting for €6.1 billion (57%).
The Green Economy Gross Output by the Industry sector was €9.3 billion in 2022, a €1.6 billion rise on 2021. There were 31,600 FTEs employed by the Industry sector.
The Green Economy (Environment Goods and Services Sector Activities) can be classified by their purpose. Regulation (EU) 691/2011 distinguishes two broad types of environmental activities according to their purpose:
In 2022, Environment Protection Activities accounted for €4.6 billion of total Green Economy Gross Output, with Resource Management Activities accounting for €6.1 billion. Figure 1 below shows the proportions of Output by Broad Activity from 2013 to 2022.
Green Economy Gross Output by Detailed Environment Activity is shown on table 1A below, with Gross Value Added (GVA) by Detailed Environment Activity shown on table 1B below. Table 1C, further down shows Green Economy Employment, by Detailed Environment Activity from 2013 to 2022.
| X-axis label | Environment protection | Resource management |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2.402 | 2.92 |
| 2014 | 2.894 | 2.902 |
| 2015 | 2.892 | 3.204 |
| 2016 | 3.008 | 3.229 |
| 2017 | 3.172 | 3.674 |
| 2018 | 3.072 | 3.994 |
| 2019 | 3.509 | 4.649 |
| 2020 | 3.319 | 4.626 |
| 2021 | 3.827 | 5.027 |
| 2022 | 4.631 | 6.116 |
Figure 2 below shows Green Economy Gross Output by NACE sector from 2013 to 2022. Further detail is shown in table 2A below which shows Green Economy Gross Output by Broad Environment Activity and NACE sector from 2013 to 2022.
Green Economy Gross Value Added (GVA) by Broad Environment Activity and NACE sector from 2013 to 2022 is shown on table 2B below. Table 2C shows Green Economy Employment by Broad Environment Activity and NACE sector from 2013 to 2022.
| Agriculture | Manufacturing | Electricity and gas | Water and Waste water | Waste and Remediation | Construction | Services | |
| 2013 | 0.293 | 0.693 | 0.381 | 0.934 | 1.299 | 1.096 | 0.627 |
| 2014 | 0.251 | 0.718 | 0.377 | 0.857 | 1.357 | 1.623 | 0.613 |
| 2015 | 0.205 | 0.82 | 0.56 | 0.911 | 1.282 | 1.611 | 0.707 |
| 2016 | 0.251 | 0.795 | 0.531 | 1.076 | 1.259 | 1.622 | 0.704 |
| 2017 | 0.304 | 0.834 | 0.684 | 1.276 | 1.418 | 1.658 | 0.673 |
| 2018 | 0.295 | 0.894 | 0.767 | 1.334 | 1.303 | 1.752 | 0.722 |
| 2019 | 0.43 | 0.854 | 0.948 | 1.611 | 1.43 | 2.174 | 0.711 |
| 2020 | 0.399 | 0.712 | 1.037 | 1.266 | 1.272 | 2.595 | 0.664 |
| 2021 | 0.377 | 0.929 | 0.907 | 1.675 | 1.662 | 2.483 | 0.82 |
| 2022 | 0.499 | 1.15 | 1.552 | 1.473 | 2.084 | 3.022 | 0.967 |
Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.
Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (03 March 2025) published Business in Ireland 2022 – Green Economy.
Commenting on the release, Jason Sibley, Statistician in the Environment Division, said: "Gross Output of the Green Economy was €10.7 billion in 2022. This 21% increase on the previous year was mainly driven by the higher output of the Energy sector. The output of the Construction sector also increased in 2022, after a lower output in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. As a percentage of national accounts output, Gross Output in the Green Economy in 2022 was 1.1% (See Table 1A).
Gross Value Added (GVA) in the Green Economy in 2022 was estimated at €4.4 billion (See Table 1B). As a percentage of the Green Economy output, GVA was 41% in 2022. The number of Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) employed in the green economy was 43,600 in 2022 (See Table 1C), which represents a 7% increase on 2021.
The Green Economy output by the Industry sector was €9.3 billion in 2022, which was up €1.6 billion on 2021 (See Table 2A). The percentage share of gross output in the Green Economy by the Industry sector was 86% in 2022. Construction accounted for €3.0 billion (33%) of Industry sector output.
In 2022, the Green Economy GVA by the Industry sector was €3.6 billion (See Table 2B), while the percentage share of GVA by the Industry sector was 81%. Employment by the Industry sector in 2022 totalled 31,600 Full-Time Equivalents (See Table 2C). The percentage share of employment by the Industry sector was 73% in 2022.”