Military spending in Ireland

Ireland: Military spending was 1.51 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
1.51 billion constant 2022 US$
Change on year
up 2.4%
Rank
77th
of 172 regions
All-time high
1.80 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2008
All-time low
78.34 million constant 2022 US$
in 1932
Years of data
102
1922–2023

Military spending in Ireland, 1922–2023

0500.0M1.0B1.5B2.0B192219722023

Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 1.51 billion constant 2022 US$ for military spending in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 10.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending in Ireland peaked at 1.80 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2008 and was at its lowest, 78.34 million constant 2022 US$, in 1932.

That places Ireland 77th out of 172 regions with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1920s 222.96 million constant 2022 US$ 92.88 million constant 2022 US$ 400.55 million constant 2022 US$ 8
1930s 115.61 million constant 2022 US$ 78.34 million constant 2022 US$ 202.65 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1940s 314.90 million constant 2022 US$ 197.07 million constant 2022 US$ 444.47 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1950s 198.04 million constant 2022 US$ 157.53 million constant 2022 US$ 219.89 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1960s 244.65 million constant 2022 US$ 196.35 million constant 2022 US$ 268.40 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1970s 475.89 million constant 2022 US$ 291.55 million constant 2022 US$ 731.16 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1980s 796.84 million constant 2022 US$ 733.47 million constant 2022 US$ 841.54 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1990s 1.05 billion constant 2022 US$ 883.01 million constant 2022 US$ 1.18 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2000s 1.38 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.10 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.80 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2010s 1.36 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.21 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.48 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2020s 1.48 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.45 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.51 billion constant 2022 US$ 4

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 74 Croatia 1.60 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  2. 75 North Korea 1.57 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  3. 76 Sri Lanka 1.52 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  4. 78 Tunisia 1.44 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  5. 79 Kenya 1.40 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  6. 80 Belarus 1.36 billion constant 2022 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 172 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending in Ireland?
Military spending in Ireland was 1.51 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military spending recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 1.80 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2008.
What is the lowest military spending recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 78.34 million constant 2022 US$ in 1932.
How does Ireland rank for military spending?
Ireland ranks 77th out of 172 regions with data for 2023.
Is military spending rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 102 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military spending
Unit
constant 2022 US$
Source
Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
172 places, 15,402 data points, 1816–2023
Last refreshed

This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.