Military spending per armed forces personnel in Ireland

Ireland: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 144,634 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
144,634 constant 2024 US$
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
27th
of 160 countries
All-time high
144,634 constant 2024 US$
in 2020
All-time low
64,736 constant 2024 US$
in 1994
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Military spending per armed forces personnel in Ireland, 1985–2020

050.0k100.0k150.0k1985200220201985: 70.2k constant 2024 US$1989: 69.8k constant 2024 US$1990: 79.2k constant 2024 US$1991: 83.0k constant 2024 US$1992: 82.1k constant 2024 US$1993: 82.8k constant 2024 US$1994: 64.7k constant 2024 US$1995: 86.0k constant 2024 US$1996: 92.0k constant 2024 US$1997: 97.5k constant 2024 US$1998: 108.6k constant 2024 US$1999: 112.3k constant 2024 US$2000: 115.2k constant 2024 US$2001: 137.0k constant 2024 US$2002: 131.5k constant 2024 US$2003: 127.3k constant 2024 US$2004: 134.4k constant 2024 US$2005: 136.1k constant 2024 US$2006: 135.0k constant 2024 US$2007: 136.0k constant 2024 US$2008: 140.9k constant 2024 US$2009: 132.9k constant 2024 US$2010: 126.7k constant 2024 US$2011: 141.1k constant 2024 US$2012: 127.2k constant 2024 US$2013: 126.5k constant 2024 US$2014: 129.5k constant 2024 US$2015: 130.0k constant 2024 US$2016: 130.9k constant 2024 US$2017: 133.0k constant 2024 US$2018: 141.4k constant 2024 US$2019: 142.7k constant 2024 US$2020: 144.6k constant 2024 US$

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 24 Equatorial Guinea 170,786 constant 2024 US$ compare
  2. 25 Czechia 160,610 constant 2024 US$ compare
  3. 26 Japan 150,681 constant 2024 US$ compare
  4. 28 Estonia 137,550 constant 2024 US$ compare
  5. 29 Oman 137,278 constant 2024 US$ compare
  6. 30 Slovakia 137,262 constant 2024 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

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.

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CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military spending per armed forces personnel
Unit
constant 2024 US$
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
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
160 places, 4,610 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.