Insecticide use in Ireland

Ireland: Insecticide use was 36 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
36 tonnes
Change on year
down 14.3%
Rank
148th
of 211 regions
All-time high
110 tonnes
in 1990
All-time low
22 tonnes
in 2020
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Insecticide use in Ireland, 1990–2023

204060801001201990200620231990: 110 tonnes1991: 110 tonnes1992: 110 tonnes1993: 110 tonnes1994: 110 tonnes1995: 106 tonnes1996: 45 tonnes1997: 64 tonnes1998: 86 tonnes1999: 72 tonnes2000: 60 tonnes2001: 71 tonnes2002: 47 tonnes2003: 42 tonnes2004: 39 tonnes2005: 50 tonnes2006: 43 tonnes2007: 43 tonnes2008: 44 tonnes2009: 24 tonnes2010: 24 tonnes2011: 71 tonnes2012: 78 tonnes2013: 66 tonnes2014: 77 tonnes2015: 78 tonnes2016: 47 tonnes2017: 76 tonnes2018: 39 tonnes2019: 40 tonnes2020: 22 tonnes2021: 22 tonnes2022: 42 tonnes2023: 36 tonnes

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

In 2023, insecticide use in Ireland stood at 36 tonnes.

The figure is down 14.3% on the previous year and down 45.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, insecticide use in Ireland peaked at 110 tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 22 tonnes, in 2020.

That places Ireland 148th out of 211 regions with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 92.3 tonnes 45 tonnes 110 tonnes 10
2000s 46.3 tonnes 24 tonnes 71 tonnes 10
2010s 59.6 tonnes 24 tonnes 78 tonnes 10
2020s 30.5 tonnes 22 tonnes 42 tonnes 4

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 149 Latvia 35 tonnes compare
  2. 150 Eritrea 28 tonnes compare
  3. 151 Guinea 27 tonnes compare
  4. 151 North Macedonia 27 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is insecticide use in Ireland?
Insecticide use in Ireland was 36 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest insecticide use recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 110 tonnes in 1990.
What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 22 tonnes in 2020.
How does Ireland rank for insecticide use?
Ireland ranks 148th out of 211 regions with data for 2023.
Is insecticide use rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 45.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Insecticide use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Insecticide use
Unit
tonnes
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 7,015 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Annual quantity of insecticides used in agriculture, measured as the tonnes of active ingredient per year.