Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Ireland
Ireland: Military expenditure as a share of government spending was 0.927 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Ireland, 1988–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 0.927 for military expenditure as a share of government spending in 2025.
That represents a change of down 5.5% on the previous year and down 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure as a share of government spending in Ireland peaked at 2.79 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.8857, in 2010.
Ireland ranks 157th of 162 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.
Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 2.49 | — |
| 1989 | 2.61 | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 2.77 | +6.1% |
| 1991 | 2.79 | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 2.63 | -5.7% |
| 1993 | 2.62 | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 2.57 | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 2.52 | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 2.57 | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 2.56 | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 2.41 | -5.9% |
| 1999 | 2.31 | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 2.27 | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 2.18 | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 1.93 | -11.7% |
| 2003 | 1.8 | -6.7% |
| 2004 | 1.73 | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 1.64 | -5.4% |
| 2006 | 1.53 | -6.6% |
| 2007 | 1.43 | -6.6% |
| 2008 | 1.39 | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 1.28 | -7.6% |
| 2010 | 0.8857 | -30.9% |
| 2011 | 1.15 | +30.2% |
| 2012 | 1.21 | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 1.24 | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 1.23 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 1.18 | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 1.19 | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 1.17 | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 1.13 | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 1.14 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 0.9827 | -14.0% |
| 2021 | 1.01 | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 1.03 | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 1.01 | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 0.9811 | -3.1% |
| 2025 | 0.927 | -5.5% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 0.927 is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.79, 19% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 0.927 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.84, 19% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure as a share of government spending 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 | +30.2% | 0.8857 | 1.15 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.55 | 2.49 | 2.61 | 2 |
| 1990s | 2.57 | 2.31 | 2.79 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.72 | 1.28 | 2.27 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.15 | 0.8857 | 1.24 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9914 | 0.927 | 1.03 | 6 |
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 military expenditure as a share of government spending in Ireland?
- Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Ireland was 0.927 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military expenditure as a share of government spending recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.79 in 1991.
- What is the lowest military expenditure as a share of government spending recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8857 in 2010.
- How does Ireland rank for military expenditure as a share of government spending?
- Ireland ranks 157th out of 162 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure as a share of government spending rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Military expenditure as a share of government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).