Measuring Ireland's Progress 2023

By country: Greenhouse gas emissions

• The European Union's Climate Target Plan 2030 proposes to cut EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to their 1990 level.
• In 2022, Irish greenhouse gas emissions were 109.7% of their 1990 level, i.e. 9.7% higher (see Table 3.1). Ireland was one of only three EU countries where emissions were higher than in 1990 - the other two were Spain (+2.4%) and Cyprus (+57.4%).
• Greenhouse gas emissions in the EU27 in 2022 were 69.3% of their 1990 level (i.e. 30.7% lower). Estonia had the biggest drop in emissions, to 34.6% of their 1990 level. Cyprus had the biggest increase to 157.4% of its 1990 level (+57.4%).
• Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions per capita were 11.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2022, which was the second highest in the EU27 after Luxembourg at 12.5 tonnes. The EU27 average was 7.5 tonnes per capita and the lowest were Sweden and Malta at 4.3 tonnes per capita.

Ireland: Greenhouse gas emissions

• The three main components of greenhouse gas emissions are carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4). The other gases that contribute to emissions are hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). These latter four gases accounted for between 1.2% and 2.0% of total GHG emissions in Ireland between 2012 and 2022.
• Total greenhouse gas emissions increased from 59.7 million tonnes in 2012 to 60.6m tonnes in 2022. During that time they fluctuated, reaching a peak of 63.7m tonnes in 2016, while falling to 58.7m tonnes in 2020.
• In total there was a 1.6% increase in greenhouse gas emissions between 2012 and 2022. In the same time period, there was a 4.0% decrease in CO2 emissions, a 10.5% increase in N2O emissions, and a 15.6% increase in methane emissions.
• Carbon dioxide emissions decreased from 38.2m to 36.7 million tonnes between 2012 and 2022, though reaching a peak of 40.4m tonnes in 2016.

Ireland: Air pollutant emissions

• Of the air pollutants included in Table 3.3 below, five decreased between 2012 and 2022: sulphur oxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and particulate matter (PM₁₀).
• Levels of ammonia (NH₃) increased from 121,000 tonnes in 2012 to 129,000 tonnes in 2022, a rise of 6.6% .
• Sulphur oxide (SO_x) emissions decreased by 62.5%, from 24,000 tonnes in 2011 to 9,000 tonnes in 2022, while carbon monoxide (CO) emissions decreased by 47.5% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 13.8%.
• Levels of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) decreased by 21.4% between 2012 and 2022. The primary source of PM_2.5 particles was household activities. Levels of particulate matter (PM₁₀) decreased by 8.7% over the same time period.
• Levels of all air pollutants decreased between 2021 and 2022.

Ireland: Particulate matter in urban areas

• The adverse health impact of the air pollutant particulate matter (PM₁₀) arises from its ability to penetrate into the respiratory tract.
• The annual average level of PM₁₀ in Dublin was 13 µg/m³ in 2023, down from 14 µg/m in 2013. In the time period 2013 to 2023, its highest annual average was 15 µg/m³ in 2019 and its lowest annual average was 12 µg/m³ in 2021 (see Table 3.4).
• The EU daily limit of PM₁₀ was not exceeded in Dublin in 2023. Between 2013 and 2023, the highest number of days the limit was exceeded was 9 days in 2019.
• In Cork, the average level of PM₁₀ was 11 µg/m³ in 2023, down from a high in the tlme period 2012-2023 of 18 µg/m³ in 2016, 2019 and 2021. The daily limit of PM₁₀ was not exceeded in 2023.
• Between 2013 and 2023, the average level of PM₁₀ in towns with a population greater than 15,000 persons was in the range of 16 to 21 µg/m³. The daily limit of PM₁₀ was exceeded on 11 days in 2023.
• The EU sets a limit of 50µg/m³ of PM₁₀ in a 24-hour period and stipulates that a country may not exceed this limit in any locality for more than 35 days of the year. Ireland has not exceeded the 35-day limit at any monitoring station to date.

Ireland: Annual average fine particulate matter

• The adverse health impact of the air pollutant fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) arises from its ability to penetrate deep into the respiratory tract.
• In Dublin levels of PM_2.5 ranged from a high of 11 µg/m³ in 2013 to a low of 7 µg/m³ in 2023 (see Table 3.5). 
• The annual average level of fine particulate matter in Cork was 6 µg/m³ in 2023, while the highest annual value over the time period 2013 to 2023 was 11 µg/m³ in 2013.
• In towns greater than 15,000 persons, the annual average level of fine particulate matter was 12 µg/m³ in 2023, and the highest annual average over the time period shown was 16 µg/m³ in 2014, 2019 and 2022.
• In rural areas the annual average levels of PM_2.5 ranged from a high of 16 µg/m³ in 2013 to a low of 7 µg/m³ in 2023.
• There were no regions where PM_2.5 levels exceeded the EU annual mean limit of limit of 25 µg/m³.

View EPA air quality data

By country: Energy productivity

• Energy productivity measures the amount of output that is produced per unit of gross inland energy consumption and provides an indicator of the energy consumption in a country.
• Ireland's energy productivity increased from €19.6 per kilogram of oil equivalent (KGOE) in 2019 to €26.2 per KGOE in 2023, the highest in the EU27, despite a fall from €27.2 since 2022 (see Table 3.6).
• In the EU27, Ireland had the highest energy productivity each year since 2019.
• In 2023, the EU27 average was €9.8 per KGOE, with the lowest energy productivity in Bulgaria, at €2.9 per KGOE.

Ireland: Municipal waste generated, recovered, and landfilled

• The amount of municipal waste in Ireland rose from 2.7 million tonnes in 2012 to 3.2 million tonnes in 2022, an increase of 18.5% (see Table 3.7).
• In the same period, there was a 55.3% decrease in the quantity of waste landfilled, and a 84.1% increase in the quantity of waste recovered (recycled, composted or incinerated for energy recovery).
• The quantity of municipal waste generated per person increased from 585kg in 2012 to 612kg in 2022, with the highest annual value of 637 kg per person in 2020.
• Waste recovered as a proportion of total waste generated rose from 53.9% in 2012 to 83.7% in 2022 (see Figure 3.3). 

By country: Municipal waste generated and treated

• Ireland had the seventh highest quantity of municipal waste generated per capita in the EU27 in 2022 at 612kg per capita. This compared to an EU27 average of 515kg waste generated per capita, while Austria had the highest at 803kg, and Romania the lowest at 303kg (see Table 3.8).
• In 2022, 14.4% of municipal waste was sent to landfill in Ireland, below the EU27 rate of 22.7%. Belgium, Finland, Sweden and Germany all landfilled less than 1.0% of waste, compared with over 70% in Malta, Greece and Romania.
• In Ireland 25.9% of waste was recycled in 2022, below the EU27 rate of 29.9%. Another 15.1% of waste was composted, below the EU27 rate of 19.0%.
• Ireland incinerated 42.8% of its waste in 2022, the fifth highest rate in the EU27. Sweden and Finland had the highest incineration rates at 59.0% and 55.9% respectively.

By country: Passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants

• In Ireland, the number of passenger cars per 1,000 people increased from 450 in 2019 to 453 in 2023 (see Table 3.9). 
• Ireland had the fourth lowest ratio of passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants in the EU27 in 2023.
• The average number of passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants in the EU27 was 570 in 2023. Latvia had the lowest ratio at 418 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, while Italy had the highest, at 694.
• All but four countries in the EU27 - Malta, Luxembourg, Sweden and Austria - saw an overall increase in the number of passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants between 2019 and 2023. The average increase in the EU27 was 4.0%.

View Eurostat passenger car data

By country: Modal split of inland freight transport

• Almost all (99.3%) inland freight transport in Ireland went by road in 2022, well above the EU27 rate of 77.8%. No freight was transported by inland waterways in Ireland and 0.7% was transported by railway (see Table 3.10).
• Ireland had the highest percentage of freight travelling by road of those EU27 countries that had alternative transport options available. Malta and Cyprus have no rail or inland waterway transport, so all inland freight travelled by road in these two countries.
• Latvia had the lowest percentage of freight transport travelling by road at 46.8% in 2022 and was the only country which had more freight travelling by rail than by road, with 53.2% transported by railway. 
• The Netherlands had the most freight travelling by inland waterways in 2022, at 41.0%. This was much greater than the EU27 rate of 5.1%.

Ireland: Number of vehicles licensed for the first time by type

• In Ireland, the total number of vehicles licensed for the first time in 2024 was 161,095 (see Table 3.11).
• In 2024, diesel was the most common fuel type of vehicles licensed for the first time at 39.1% of the total (or 63,008 vehicles), though its share was down from 77.5% of the total in 2014. Petrol was the second most popular fuel type in 2024 at 40,649 or 25.2% of the total, up from 21.4% of the total in 2014.
• Petrol/electric hybrids were the third most popular fuel type for newly licensed vehicles in 2024 at 25,649 or 15.9% of the total, whereas in 2014 they comprised just 0.8% of the total.
• The number of newly licensed electric-only vehicles fell from 23,762 in 2023 to 18,715 in 2024, a drop of 21.2%, while the number of plug-in electric hybrids rose by 10.7% to 11,451.

Ireland: Average and Median Domestic Metered Public Water Consumption

• Average (mean) monthly domestic metered public water consumption was 357 litres per meter per day in 2022, down 4.8% on 2021 when it was 375 litres (see Table 3.12).
• Average domestic consumption fell by 3.0% between 2016 and 2022. During that period average consumption peaked in 2020 at 378 litres.
• The median consumption of water per meter per day was 261 litres in 2022, down by 6.8% from 2021, but up 6.1% since 2016 when it was 246 litres.
• Median consumption reflects typical water use better than the average figure as it is less affected by high consumption due to leaks.

Ireland: Domestic building energy ratings

• Domestic Building Energy Rating (BER) audits were performed on almost 1.24 million domestic properties between 2009 and 2024. BER audits are required for all dwellings offered for sale or rent since 2009 (see Background Notes).
• Of those buildings where a BER was carried out, 15% received an A rating, 16% a B rating, 33% a C rating, 18% a D rating, 9% an E rating and 10% an F or G rating (see Table 3.13).
• Dwellings built in recent years are much more energy efficient than those constructed in earlier periods, with 99% of those built between 2020 and 2024 receiving an A rating, compared to just 3% of those built pre-1978.
• By contrast, 28% of dwellings constructed pre-1978 received an F or G energy rating when given a BER audit, compared with 0% since 2010.