Global population figures for 1950-2024 were taken from the “World Population Prospect 2024” published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. All population data refer to July 1st of the relevant year.
Child mortality rates were taken from the “World Population Prospect 2024” published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. These figures for 1950-2024 refer to the number of deaths of children (male and female combined) before age five per 1,000 live births.
Life expectancy figures were taken from the “World Population Prospect 2024” published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. These figures for 1950-2024 refer to the life expectancy at birth of all children combined.
This indicator shows absolute annual changes in the average near-surface temperatures for the globe. Near-surface air temperature gives one of the clearest and most consistent signals of global climate change especially in recent decades. It has been measured for many decades and a dense network of stations across the globe provides regular monitoring for temperatures, using standardised measurements, quality control and homogeneity procedures.
The annual temperature variations reflect climate variability due to natural forces such as volcanic eruptions, solar activity or the El Nino Southern Oscillations but scientists believe that anthropogenic influence, mainly through greenhouse gas emissions, is responsible for most of the observed increase in global average temperatures in recent decades.
The 2015 Paris Agreement defined the long-term goal of limiting global warming to “hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2o Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the rise in temperature increase to 1.5o Celsius above pre-industrial levels” (using 1850-1899 data as a proxy for pre-industrial levels).
Three datasets are used to map deviations in global average near-surface temperatures: (1) the UK Met Office Hadley Centre and Climatic Research Unit (HadCRUT5); (2) NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISTEMP); and (3) The National Centres for Environmental Information at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States (NOAA Global Temperature). GISTEMP data from NASA is not available for the full time period and so has been excluded from this indicator.
Carbon dioxide is the main contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Other greenhouse gases can be converted into tonnes of CO2 equivalent by multiplying their masses by their global warming potentials.
Each of these gases is regulated by global environmental agreements: the Kyoto Protocol running from 2008-2012; a second Kyoto Commitment Period running from 2013-2020; and an agreement adopted in Paris in 2015 which came into force in 2020.
The data reflects the application of the territorial principle and excludes emissions from Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry.
This indicator contains data for selected countries and regions compiled by the Our World in Data Institute which is a collaboration between researchers at the University of Oxford and the Global Change Data Lab.
Domestic Material Consumption measures the total amount of material used by the economy. It is the sum of domestic extraction plus imports less exports in tonnes. DMC is an indicator of the stress placed on the environment by resource consumption. Indicator 1.6 shows the trend in DMC for key regions of the world economy. The disparity in DMC between the high-income and low-income world regions is striking as is the increase in resource consumption per capita in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia over the 2000-2023 period.
The emissions of greenhouse gases contribute to global warming. Seven greenhouse gases are regulated by international agreements. These are:
Air emissions in Indicators 2.2 to 2.6 are calculated according to the territorial principle, while Indicator 2.1 shows data based on the residence principle as well.
Territorial emissions are emissions produced on the territory of Ireland. They are reported annually by the Environmental Protection Agency and sent to the United Nations under the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). They are used to determine whether Ireland has met its legally binding emissions targets.
Residence Principle emissions are obtained by removing transport emissions emitted by non-resident units on the territory of Ireland from total territorial principle emissions, and by adding transport emissions emitted by Irish resident units abroad.
Non-resident emissions include road transport emissions from fuel sales to owners of non-Irish registered vehicles. Resident emissions abroad include carbon dioxide emissions from flights by Irish airlines originating in countries other than Ireland.
The Irish greenhouse gas emissions in Indicators 2.2 - 2.5 are provisional 2024 data compiled by the EPA for submission to UNFCCC in 2025 and therefore differ somewhat from the final 2023 figures, published in the CSO’s Environmental Accounts Air Emissions release in August 2025, and used in Indicators 2.1 and 2.6.
The sectoral breakdown in Indicators 2.1 and 2.6 are derived from the European NACE Rev 2 statistical classification of economic activity and differ somewhat from that applied by the EPA in Indicator 2.5.
The 2021 Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act sets a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by December 2030 compared to their 2018 figures.
The national annual average values of rainfall (from 1941) and air temperature (from 1961) are calculated by Met Éireann using quality-controlled observations of daily rainfall, minimum and maximum air temperatures at the National Weather Observing Stations, operated and maintained by Met Éireann. The averages are determined from a 1km grid of these observations on the land of Ireland. The values are correct at the date of publication but are subject to change upon the inclusion of new datasets, updates from quality-controlled procedures or new data rescued (changes are not limited to these examples).
Bathing water assessment and classification is carried out according to EU Bathing Water Directive 2006/7/EC.
Bathing waters are classified as poor quality when microbiological measurements are worse than the "sufficient" values set out in the directive.
| (*) Based upon a 95-percentile evaluation
(**) Based upon a 90-percentile evaluation |
|||
| Parameter | Excellent quality | Good quality | Sufficient quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intestinal enterococci (cfu/100 ml) | 200 (*) | 400 (*) | 330 (**) |
| Escherichia coli (cfu/100 ml) | 500 (*) | 1,000(*) | 900 (**) |
| (*) Based upon a 95-percentile evaluation
(**) Based upon a 90-percentile evaluation |
|||
| Parameter | Excellent quality | Good quality | Sufficient quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intestinal enterococci (cfu/100ml) | 100 (*) | 200 (*) | 185 (**) |
| Escherichia coli (cfu/100ml) | 250 (*) | 500 (*) | 500 (**) |
Both Escherichia coli and Intestinal enterococci are types of bacteria that live predominantly in the gut of warm-blooded animals, including humans. They generally enter the water environment in run-off containing small amounts of faeces from deposition on agricultural land or urban areas, from the land-spreading of manures, or directly from wastewater treatment systems and overflows. Their lifetime outside the gut generally ranges from a few hours to a few days depending on sunlight, temperature, and other environmental conditions.
Trihalomethanes (THM’s) are formed in drinking-water primarily as a result of chlorination of organic matter present naturally in raw water supplies. The rate and degree of THM formation increase as a function of the chlorine and humic acid concentration, temperature, pH and bromide ion concentration.
Before 2004, there was no parametric limit for compliance with levels of THM. In 2009 the limit changed from 150 µg/l (micrograms per litre) to 100 µg/l.
This indicator provides data on the treatment of wastewater by approximately 1,100 plants operated by Uisce Éireann. The EPA figures refer to villages, towns and cities and comprises all agglomerations, including those with a population equivalent of less than 500 persons.
Population equivalent is a technical term used to indicate how much wastewater is generated in an urban area. It includes wastewater generated by the resident population, the non-resident population (for example, tourists) and industries. A population equivalent of one is defined as the organic biodegradable load having a five-day biochemical oxygen demand of 60 grams of oxygen per day.
Agglomeration is defined as an area where the population or economic activities or both are sufficiently concentrated for a wastewater works to have been put in place. Wastewater works means sewers and their accessories and all other associated structural devices, including wastewater treatment plants, which are owned by, vested in, controlled or used by a water services authority, i.e. Uisce Éireann, for the collection, storage, treatment or discharge of waste water.
The Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulations 2001-2010 and the 1991 Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) set requirements on the provision of wastewater collection systems and treatment plants, provide for the monitoring of waste water discharges and specify limits for certain parameters in these discharges.
The Regulations and UWWTD specify monitoring requirements and set limits on the concentration of biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and total suspended solids in wastewater discharges.
River water is the principal source of drinking water in Ireland. The EPA conducts an assessment of river water quality on behalf of Local Authorities and publishes the figures every three years. Water samples are taken from over 2,000 locations around the country. These biological surveys began in 1971. River water quality is classified based on the presence of macroinvertebrates (such as insect larvae, snails and worms) that are sensitive or tolerant to pollution. There are five river water quality standards: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. Higher diversity and abundance of pollution-sensitive invertebrates like certain insect larvae signify better water quality.
Nitrates can cause serious problems when they end up in groundwater or surface water by causing increased growth of algae and eutrophication of water systems. The drop in oxygen that comes with the presence of nitrates can lead to fish kills. The problem stems from the practice of spreading animal wastes – which contain nitrates in high concentrations – on land to improve crops and pastures.
This indicator shows Ecosystems Extent Accounts for Ireland over the 2018-2021 period. Extent accounts show the area under each ecosystem type. The base land cover on which these ecosystem accounts are based was CLCplus Backbone from the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service. The previous experimental accounts covering the period from 2000-2018 were based on CORINE Land Cover (CLC). CLCplus has a far superior resolution (10 x 10 metres) which picks up on small areas of woodland which may be missed by administrative data or CORINE given its larger 25-hectare minimum mapping unit (MMU). The new accounts also incorporate a range of national survey and administrative datasets. These data are crucial for the mapping of ecosystems which would not be identifiable using CLCplus Backbone alone. Finally, compared with CLC (released every six years), CLCplus Backbone and most of the national data are produced at a frequency which satisfies the mandatory three-year reporting frequency for ecosystem extent accounts.
As the previous accounts were based on CLC, ecosystems with an area of less than 25 hectares were not accounted for. The new accounts have been estimated from a compiled ecosystem extent map with an MMU of 1 ha for all ecosystems except for Natural & Semi-Natural Grasslands (which has an MMU of 25 ha as it is still mainly sourced from CLC). This means ecosystems occurring at a considerably smaller scale are now included.
Settlements and other artificial areas includes continuous settlement areas, discontinuous settlement areas, infrastructure and industrial areas, urban greenspace and other artificial areas.
Cropland includes annual cropland, permanent crops and other farmland.
Grassland includes sown pastures and other grass, and natural and semi-natural grasslands.
Forest and woodland include broadleaf deciduous forest, coniferous forests, mixed forests, transitional forest and woodland shrub, and plantations.
Heathland and shrub include scrub and heathland and sclerophyllous vegetation.
Inland wetlands include inland marshes and other wetlands, mires, bogs and fens,
Other ecosystems include sparsely vegetated ecosystems, rivers and canals, lakes and reservoirs, marine inlets and transitional waters, and coastal beaches, dunes and wetlands.
Forest area figures for EU Member States in Indicator 4.2 are compiled by Eurostat from data supplied by National Statistical Institutes. The Irish forestry figures are based on the National Forest Inventory data collected by the CSO based on figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The total land area of the state used in this indicator also differs slightly from the figures used in Indicator 4.1, because it generally excludes areas corresponding to transitional waters, and is based on the European LUCAS survey (Land Use/Cover Area Frame Survey).
Organic farming is a system of farming which requires the consideration and application of production methods that do not damage the environment; a more respectful use of the countryside; concern for animal welfare; and the production of high quality agricultural products.
Organic agriculture relies on crop rotations, the recycling of farm-produced organic materials i.e. crop residues, animal manure, legumes, green manure and off-farm wastes and on a variety of non-chemical methods for the control of pests, diseases and weeds. Synthetically compounded fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, growth regulators and livestock feed additives are excluded or severely restricted. The products and methods of genetic engineering are also strictly prohibited.
There is a small difference between the figures for the area farmed organically in Ireland in Indicators 4.3 and 4.4. The figures in Indicator 4.3 are based on the Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (formerly the Basic Payment Scheme) administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and refer to utilisable agricultural area, while those in Indicator 4.4 refer to figures collected by Organic Certification Bodies and sent to Eurostat. The Eurostat figures also refer to the total amount of land fully converted or under conversion to organic farming.
Well-structured soils that are rich in nutrients are highly fertile. Given sufficient light, warmth and water, they will produce abundant crops. However, the nutrients removed by crops or feeding animals must be replaced or soil fertility will be run down.
Nutrients can be replaced by returning to the soil, plant, animal or human waste, such as sewage sludge, or by adding mineral fertilisers. To grow well, crops need a balanced supply of essential nutrients. The main nutrients used in Ireland are lime, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These and most other nutrients are normally dissolved in water in the soil.
Irish data in Indicator 4.5 refers to the nutrient content of fertiliser sales. This indicator includes lime fertilisers as well as nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. EU data in Indicator 4.6 do not include lime fertilisers. Both Irish and EU data refer to fertiliser sales rather than use.
Irish data for cattle are obtained by the CSO from Department of Agriculture and the Marine’s Animal Identification and Movement (AIM) system, formerly known as the Cattle Movement Monitoring System (CMMS). This system was introduced at the beginning of 2000 and involves electronically recording data on animal movements. Information on cattle numbers and on flows into and out of the cattle population has been available from this system since December 2002.
Sheep numbers in Ireland were collected by a CSO survey of sheep farmers up until 2017 when the data were taken from the Sheep and Goat survey conducted by the Department of Agriculture and the Marine.
Pig numbers in Ireland have been collected using a specialist pig survey conducted by the CSO since 1973. The survey was conducted on four times a year until 1998 and on a bi-annual basis since then.
The primary data source used for the New Dwelling Completions series is the ESB Networks new domestic connections dataset, where the date that the connection is energised determines the date of completion. It is accepted that the ESB domestic connections data set overestimates new dwellings, so the CSO has adjusted for this overcount by using additional information from the ESB and other data sources such as Building Energy Rating data compiled by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. The ESB data in this indicator excludes re-connections, unfinished/ghost housing estates and non-dwellings.
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