Insecticide use in Ireland
Ireland: Insecticide use was 36 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Insecticide use in Ireland, 1990–2023
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 countries 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.
Insecticide use in Ireland, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 110 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 110 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 110 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 110 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 110 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 106 tonnes | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 45 tonnes | -57.5% |
| 1997 | 64 tonnes | +42.2% |
| 1998 | 86 tonnes | +34.4% |
| 1999 | 72 tonnes | -16.3% |
| 2000 | 60 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 2001 | 71 tonnes | +18.3% |
| 2002 | 47 tonnes | -33.8% |
| 2003 | 42 tonnes | -10.6% |
| 2004 | 39 tonnes | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 50 tonnes | +28.2% |
| 2006 | 43 tonnes | -14.0% |
| 2007 | 43 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 44 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 24 tonnes | -45.5% |
| 2010 | 24 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 71 tonnes | +195.8% |
| 2012 | 78 tonnes | +9.9% |
| 2013 | 66 tonnes | -15.4% |
| 2014 | 77 tonnes | +16.7% |
| 2015 | 78 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 47 tonnes | -39.7% |
| 2017 | 76 tonnes | +61.7% |
| 2018 | 39 tonnes | -48.7% |
| 2019 | 40 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 22 tonnes | -45.0% |
| 2021 | 22 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 42 tonnes | +90.9% |
| 2023 | 36 tonnes | -14.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 36 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 90 tonnes, 40% of the median. (73 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 36 tonnes is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 198 tonnes, 18% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Insecticide use in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +195.8% | 24 tonnes | 71 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Ireland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0921 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5015 (2050)
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 countries 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
Annual quantity of insecticides used in agriculture, measured as the tonnes of active ingredient per year.