Military spending per armed forces personnel in Ireland
Ireland: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 144,634 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Ireland, 1985–2020
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2024 US$.
Analysis
In 2020, military spending per armed forces personnel in Ireland stood at 144,634 constant 2024 US$. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending per armed forces personnel in Ireland peaked at 144,634 constant 2024 US$ in 2020 and was at its lowest, 64,736 constant 2024 US$, in 1994.
Ireland ranks 27th of 160 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Ireland, year by year
| Year | constant 2024 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 70,203 constant 2024 US$ | — |
| 1989 | 69,816 constant 2024 US$ | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 79,246 constant 2024 US$ | +13.5% |
| 1991 | 83,024 constant 2024 US$ | +4.8% |
| 1992 | 82,145 constant 2024 US$ | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 82,775 constant 2024 US$ | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 64,736 constant 2024 US$ | -21.8% |
| 1995 | 86,002 constant 2024 US$ | +32.9% |
| 1996 | 92,026 constant 2024 US$ | +7.0% |
| 1997 | 97,471 constant 2024 US$ | +5.9% |
| 1998 | 108,555 constant 2024 US$ | +11.4% |
| 1999 | 112,300 constant 2024 US$ | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 115,231 constant 2024 US$ | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 136,966 constant 2024 US$ | +18.9% |
| 2002 | 131,518 constant 2024 US$ | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 127,290 constant 2024 US$ | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 134,437 constant 2024 US$ | +5.6% |
| 2005 | 136,138 constant 2024 US$ | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 134,994 constant 2024 US$ | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 135,990 constant 2024 US$ | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 140,884 constant 2024 US$ | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 132,935 constant 2024 US$ | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 126,663 constant 2024 US$ | -4.7% |
| 2011 | 141,136 constant 2024 US$ | +11.4% |
| 2012 | 127,232 constant 2024 US$ | -9.9% |
| 2013 | 126,538 constant 2024 US$ | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 129,536 constant 2024 US$ | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 129,966 constant 2024 US$ | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 130,908 constant 2024 US$ | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 133,036 constant 2024 US$ | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 141,449 constant 2024 US$ | +6.3% |
| 2019 | 142,712 constant 2024 US$ | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 144,634 constant 2024 US$ | +1.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 144,634 constant 2024 US$ is above the median for high income countries, which is 131,220 constant 2024 US$, 1.1× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 144,634 constant 2024 US$ is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 55,593 constant 2024 US$, 2.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military spending per armed forces personnel in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +32.9% | 64,736 constant 2024 US$ | 86,002 constant 2024 US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 70,010 constant 2024 US$ | 69,816 constant 2024 US$ | 70,203 constant 2024 US$ | 2 |
| 1990s | 88,828 constant 2024 US$ | 64,736 constant 2024 US$ | 112,300 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 132,638 constant 2024 US$ | 115,231 constant 2024 US$ | 140,884 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 132,918 constant 2024 US$ | 126,538 constant 2024 US$ | 142,712 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 144,634 constant 2024 US$ | 144,634 constant 2024 US$ | 144,634 constant 2024 US$ | 1 |
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 spending per armed forces personnel in Ireland?
- Military spending per armed forces personnel in Ireland was 144,634 constant 2024 US$ in 2020, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 144,634 constant 2024 US$ in 2020.
- What is the lowest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 64,736 constant 2024 US$ in 1994.
- How does Ireland rank for military spending per armed forces personnel?
- Ireland ranks 27th out of 160 countries with data for 2020.
- Is military spending per armed forces personnel rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending per armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by armed forces personnel. 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.