Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Ireland

Ireland: Antibiotic usage by surveillance category was 17.17 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
17.17 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
Change on year
up 1.1%
Rank
6th
of 46 regions
All-time high
17.17 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
in 2023
All-time low
13.08 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
in 2021
Years of data
8
2016–2023

Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Ireland, 2016–2023

0510152016201920232016: 14.2 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2017: 13.4 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2018: 15.2 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2019: 15.9 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2020: 13.1 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2021: 13.1 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2022: 17 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2023: 17.2 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day

Source: WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day.

Analysis

The most recent figure for antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Ireland is 17.17 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 21.1% over ten years.

That places Ireland 6th out of 46 regions with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 14.69 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 13.39 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 15.94 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 4
2020s 15.09 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 13.08 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 17.17 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 4

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 3 Cyprus 18.92 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  2. 4 Jordan 18.65 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  3. 5 France 17.77 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  4. 7 Montenegro 17.09 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  5. 8 Colombia 16.31 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  6. 9 Spain 15.75 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Ireland?
Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Ireland was 17.17 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023, according to WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest antibiotic usage by surveillance category recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 17.17 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023.
What is the lowest antibiotic usage by surveillance category recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 13.08 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2021.
How does Ireland rank for antibiotic usage by surveillance category?
Ireland ranks 6th out of 46 regions with data for 2023.
Is antibiotic usage by surveillance category rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Antibiotic usage by surveillance category. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Antibiotic usage by surveillance category
Unit
defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
Source
WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
46 places, 344 data points, 2016–2023
Last refreshed

Total defined daily doses of AWaRe category: Access used per 1000 inhabitants per day. Access antibiotics have activity against a wide range of common pathogens and show lower resistance potential than antibiotics in the other groups.