Compared with 2010, in 2022 GVA had risen by 370%, employment was up 90%, and emissions had increased by 476% (See Figure 6.1 and Table 6.1).
Emissions from fossil fuels used to generate electricity were assigned to the final consumer in this release. Electricity consumption was the source of 94% of Information and communication sector emissions in 2022, up from 74% in 2010 (See Figure 6.3 and Table 6.2).
The share of total metered electricity consumption accounted for by data centres rose from 5% in 2015 to 21% in 2023 (See Figure 6.5 and Table 6.4).
Figure 6.1 shows trends in greenhouse gas emissions, gross value added at constant (2022) prices, and employment numbers for the Information and communication sector from 2010 to 2022. Compared with 2010, in 2022 GVA had risen by 370%, employment was up 90%, and emissions had increased by 476%. Emissions from fossil fuels used to generate electricity were assigned to the final consumer in this release.
Figure 6.2 shows the Information and communication sector share of total emissions, GVA, and employment. In 2022, emissions from the sector were 3.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions, compared with 0.6% in 2010. The share of GVA went from 9% in 2010 to 17% in 2022. The employment share was 5% in 2010 and 7% in 2022.
Table 6.1 shows data on levels of greenhouse gas emissions, GVA, and employment numbers for the Information and communication sector from 2010 to 2022, as well as the share of total emissions, GVA and employment. In 2022, emissions were 2.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, GVA was €87 billion, and employment in the sector was 168,401 persons.
| Year | Greenhouse gas emissions | GVA (constant prices) | Employment (Persons) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2011 | 159.83606557377 | 101.66082746973 | 101.189170858532 |
| 2012 | 172.677595628415 | 102.626641470608 | 106.408184027582 |
| 2013 | 180.054644808743 | 113.132073793733 | 108.502797716611 |
| 2014 | 211.20218579235 | 127.22171266702 | 111.028090205166 |
| 2015 | 287.431693989071 | 146.781331126552 | 115.445656474312 |
| 2016 | 313.114754098361 | 159.637438068915 | 122.769456847341 |
| 2017 | 310.928961748634 | 202.591126168288 | 131.160345899508 |
| 2018 | 304.371584699454 | 251.921097262309 | 134.223704289832 |
| 2019 | 336.612021857924 | 302.011059905057 | 141.141694455434 |
| 2020 | 352.732240437158 | 359.309081909029 | 151.220256598655 |
| 2021 | 504.371584699454 | 443.40922673097 | 173.282088961736 |
| 2022 | 575.68306010929 | 470.301780497331 | 190.358898999604 |
| Share of emissions | Share of GVA | Share of employment | |
| 2010 | 0.6 | 9.2 | 4.6 |
| 2011 | 1 | 9 | 4.7 |
| 2012 | 1.1 | 9.8 | 5 |
| 2013 | 1.1 | 10.2 | 5 |
| 2014 | 1.3 | 10.5 | 5 |
| 2015 | 1.7 | 9.2 | 5 |
| 2016 | 1.8 | 9.9 | 5.1 |
| 2017 | 1.8 | 11.2 | 5.3 |
| 2018 | 1.8 | 12.7 | 5.2 |
| 2019 | 2 | 14.9 | 5.3 |
| 2020 | 2.2 | 16.9 | 5.9 |
| 2021 | 3 | 18.6 | 6.3 |
| 2022 | 3.5 | 17.4 | 6.5 |
Figure 6.3 shows sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the Information and communication sector in 2022. Emissions from fossil fuels used to generate electricity were assigned to the final consumer in this release. Electricity consumption was the source of 94% of emissions in 2022, up from 74% in 2010. Table 6.2 shows the share of the main emissions sources each year from 2010 to 2022.
| 2010 share | 2022 share | |
| Fuel combustion (stationary) | 12 | 4 |
| Electricity consumption | 74 | 94 |
| Road transport fuels | 10 | 2 |
| Other | 4 | 1 |
Figure 6.4 and Table 6.3 shows energy use in the Information and communication sector, based on CSO Business Energy Use survey data. Energy use in the sector rose by 653% from 2010 to 2022, as electricity consumption increased more than tenfold.
| 2010 | 2022 | |
| Fossil fuels (non-transport) | 25 | 39 |
| Electricity | 43 | 513 |
| Transport fuels | 5 | 5 |
Figure 6.5 and Table 6.4 show data centre electricity consumption from 2015 to 2023. The share of total metered electricity consumption accounted for by data centres rose from 5% in 2015 to 21% in 2023. In 2023, the household share of metered electricity consumption was 28%.
| % Consumption by Data Centres | |
| 2015 | 5 |
| 2016 | 6 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 9 |
| 2020 | 11 |
| 2021 | 14 |
| 2022 | 18 |
| 2023 | 21 |
Figure 6.6 and Table 6.5 show shares of uses of Information and communication sector products. Most of the value of outputs from this sector was in exports, at 83% of the total of €184 billion in 2020.
| Use of Information and communication sector products | |
| Information and communication sector | 8 |
| Households | 2 |
| Exports | 83 |
| Other uses | 7 |
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