Ireland’s population was estimated at 5.4 million in 2024. Between 2014 and 2024 Ireland had the third highest percentage increase (15%) in population in the European Union (EU27), after Malta (32%) and Luxembourg (22%).
The proportion of Ireland’s population aged 45 or over rose from 36% in 2014 to 41% in 2024, while the proportion aged under 45 decreased from 64% in 2014 to 59% in 2024.
The long-term unemployment rate in Ireland fell from 7.9% in 2013 to 1.1% in 2023, which was below the EU27 average of 2.1%.
Ireland had the second highest price level for consumer goods and services in the EU27 in 2023 at 37% above the EU27 average, while Denmark had the highest at 45% above average.
Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions per capita were 11.6 tonnes per capita in 2022, which was the second highest in the EU27 after Luxembourg (12.5 tonnes per capita).
The amount of municipal waste generated in Ireland rose from 585 kg per capita in 2012 to 612 kg per capita in 2022, while the proportion of that waste recovered (recycled, composted, or incinerated for energy) went from 54% to 84% over the same period.
The number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates in Ireland was 40.1 per 1,000 people aged 20-29 in 2022, the highest rate in the EU27.
Male life expectancy at birth was 80.9 years in Ireland in 2022, the second highest in the EU27 and three years above the EU27 average. Female life expectancy at birth in Ireland was 84.2 years, which was eighth highest and 0.9 years above the EU27 average.
Measuring Ireland's Progress 2023 contains 62 indicators highlighting key trends in Irish society, drawing comparisons over time and in a European context. The report is divided into five main chapters: Society, Economy, Environment, Education, and Health. This report is the twenty-first in the Measuring Ireland's Progress series.
Data is sourced mainly from the CSO and Eurostat, with additional sources as indicated including government departments, state agencies and international organisations.
Most indicators are presented in both a national and an international context. The European Union (EU) is referenced in tables and graphs throughout the report as EU 27 countries (from 2020), as it refers to the 27 members states after the United Kingdom left the European Union in 2020. The national context is generally in a time series format, while the international context compares Ireland with other EU27 countries, and, where available, with European Free Trade Association countries: Iceland, Switzerland and Norway; and, also, where available, with EU candidate countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine. Since 2020, UK data is generally no longer being updated in Eurostat, but is included where comparable data is available from another source such as the Office for National Statistics (UK). Graphs and maps are provided with many indicators.
The latest available data is presented for most indicators, which means that the latest reference year for different indicators can vary. It is usually 2022, 2023, or 2024, but can be earlier for some indicators, and this is clearly shown in each case. It should be noted that data is often subject to subsequent updates or revisions, and this can affect the relative ratings of countries in international comparisons.
The Background Notes section describes the indicator definitions and data sources in greater detail. Where a graph and/or map is available for an indicator, this will be shown below the text for that indicator.
Note that rounding of figures in tables means these may not always sum to 100.0%.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (04 April 2025) published Measuring Ireland's Progress 2023, the twenty-first annual release in the series. The report contains data on 62 indicators, divided over five chapters: Society, Economy, Environment, Education and Health.
Commenting on the release, Aideen Sheehan, Statistician in the Statistical Systems Coordination Unit, said: "The progress indicators used in this report are chosen to provide an overall view of the social, economic, environment, education and health situation in Ireland, and how Ireland compares in these areas with other European countries.
The report shows how Ireland's population has grown at the third fastest rate in the European Union in the last 10 years, up by over 15% when compared with an EU27 average of less than 2%. It also shows that the proportion of the population aged 65 years or over increased from 13% in 2014 to 16% in 2024.
Further findings highlighted in the report include:
Society
Ireland and Malta had the joint lowest divorce rate in the EU27 in 2022, at 0.9 divorces per 1,000 persons, below the EU27 average of 1.6 divorces per 1,000 people.
Ireland had a fertility rate of 1.5 in 2022, which was the ninth highest of any country in the European Union, with France highest at 1.8. However, all countries in the EU27 were below the theoretical replacement fertility rate of 2.1.
Economy
Ireland had the second highest consumer prices in the EU27 in 2023 at 37% above the EU27 average. Prices were highest in Denmark at 45% above the EU27 average.
Exports of goods and services were 138% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Ireland in 2023 which was the second highest proportion in the EU27 after Luxembourg (206%).
The employment rate in Ireland was the eleventh highest in the EU27 in 2023 at 74%, up from 62% in 2013.
Environment
Building Energy Rating (BER) audits were carried out on almost 1.24 million dwellings between 2009 and 2024. Of these 15% received an A rating, 16% a B rating, 33% a C rating and 18% a D rating, while the remaining 19% received an E, F or G rating. For properties constructed between 2020 and 2024, 99% received an A rating compared with just 3% of properties built pre-1978.
Ireland had 453 passenger cars per 1,000 people in 2023, the fourth lowest ratio in the EU27, and below the average of 570. Italy had the highest ratio at 694 cars per 1,000 inhabitants.
Education
More than six in ten people (63%) aged 25-34 in Ireland had a third level qualification in 2023, which was the highest rate in the EU27.
In 2023, 9% of young people in Ireland aged 18-24 were neither in employment nor in education and training, the sixth lowest in the EU27 and below the average of 12%.
Health
In Ireland healthy life expectancy (the number of years a person can expect to live in a healthy state) was the sixth highest in the EU27 in 2022 for both males and females at 65.2 years and 66.8 years respectively. Men could expect to live 19% of their life in poor health and women could expect to live 21% of their life in poor health.
Current health care spending (both public and private) as a percentage of GDP was 6.1% in Ireland in 2022 which was the third lowest in the EU27 and below the EU27 average of 10.4%."