While the last release in this series was titled Measuring Ireland’s Progress 2023, users should note there has been no break in the series. This latest release, Measuring Ireland’s Progress 2026, continues the series and the title reflects the year of publication. For each indicator, the latest available data is presented.
Ireland’s population was estimated at 5.5 million in 2026. Between 2016 and 2026, the proportion of Ireland’s population aged 45 or over rose from 37.1% to 42.2%, whereas the proportion aged under 45 fell from 62.9% to 57.8%.
Between 2015 and 2025 Ireland had the third highest percentage increase (16.3%) in population in the European Union (EU27), after Malta (30.9%) and Luxembourg (21.1%).
The long-term unemployment rate in Ireland fell from 5.3% in 2015 to 1.1% in 2025, which was below the EU27 average of 1.9%.
Ireland had the second highest price level for consumer goods and services in the EU27 in 2025 at 36.2% above the EU27 average, while Denmark had the highest at 39.7% above average.
Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions per capita were 10.0 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2024, which was the second highest in the EU27 after Luxembourg (11.1 tonnes per capita).
The amount of municipal waste generated in Ireland rose from 562 kg per capita in 2014 to 576 kg per capita in 2024, while the proportion of that waste recovered (recycled, composted, or incinerated for energy) grew from 73.9% to 83.6% over the same period.
The number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates in Ireland was 39.8 per 1,000 people aged 20-29 in 2024, the highest rate in the EU27.
Male life expectancy at birth was 81.4 years in Ireland in 2024, the fourth highest in the EU27 (tied with Spain) and 2.5 years above the EU27 average. Female life expectancy at birth in Ireland was 84.7 years in 2024 which was 0.6 years higher than the EU27 average of 84.1 years.
Ireland and Malta had the joint lowest divorce rate in the EU27 in 2024, at 0.9 divorces per 1,000 people, below the EU27 average of 1.6 divorces per 1,000 people.
Ireland had a fertility rate of 1.47 in 2024, making it the joint fourth highest with Demark in the European Union. Bulgaria had the highest fertility rate in the EU, at 1.72. All countries in the EU27 were below the theoretical replacement fertility rate of 2.1.
Ireland had the second highest consumer prices in the EU27 in 2025 at 36.2% above the EU27 average. Prices were highest in Denmark at 39.7% above the EU27 average.
Exports of goods and services were 148.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Ireland in 2025, which was the second highest proportion in the EU27 after Luxembourg (195.9%).
The employment rate in Ireland was 74.6% in 2025, up from 64.8% in 2015, and above the EU27 average of 71.0%.
Building Energy Rating (BER) audits were carried out on almost 1.37 million dwellings between 2009 and the second quarter of 2026. Of these, 18.5% received an A rating, 17.5% a B, 30.7% a C, 16.4% a D, 7.8% an E and 8.9% an F or G rating. Overall, 0.2% of properties received the new A0 rating since its introduction in 2026. This category is for buildings that have no fossil fuel emissions and lowest primary energy usage.
Ireland had 475 passenger cars per 1,000 people in 2025, the fourth lowest ratio in the EU27 along with Sweden, and below the average of 584. Italy had the highest ratio at 709 cars per 1,000 inhabitants.
More than two-thirds (66.8%) of 25 to 34 year-olds in Ireland held a third-level qualification in 2025, which was the highest rate in the EU27.
In 2025, 8.8% of young people in Ireland aged 18 to 24 were neither in employment nor in education and training, the fifth lowest in the EU27 and below the EU27 average of 11.8%.
In Ireland, healthy life expectancy (the number of years a person can expect to live in a healthy state) in 2024 for males was the seventh highest in the EU27 at 66.6 years. Female healthy life expectancy in Ireland was also the seventh highest in the EU27 at 67.3 years.
Current health care spending (both public and private) as a percentage of GDP was 6.4% in Ireland in 2024.
Measuring Ireland's Progress 2026 contains 62 indicators highlighting key trends in Irish society, drawing comparisons over time and in a European context. The release is divided into five main chapters: Society, Economy, Environment, Education, and Health. This release is the twenty-second release 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, Liechtenstein and Norway; and, also, where available, with EU candidate countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, Georgia, 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). Charts and maps are provided with a majority of the 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 2024, 2025, or 2026, 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 (20 October 2026) published Measuring Ireland's Progress 2026, the twenty-second annual release in the series. The title of this release is Measuring Ireland’s Progress 2026, while the last release in this series was Measuring Ireland’s Progress 2023. Users should note there has been no break in the series. This latest release, Measuring Ireland’s Progress 2026, continues the series and the title reflects the year of publication. For each indicator, the latest available data is presented.
The release contains data on 62 indicators, divided over five chapters: Society, Economy, Environment, Education and Health.
Commenting on the release, Hamda Ajmal, Statistician in the Thematic Insights and External Research Division, said: "The progress indicators used in this release 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 release shows how Ireland's population has grown at the third fastest rate in the European Union in the last 10 years, up by more than 16% 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 13.3% in 2016 to 16.1% in 2026.
Further findings highlighted in the report are included in the section below.