Police officers per 1,000 people in Ireland

Ireland: Police officers per 1,000 people was 3.77 in 2014. ▲ Rising

Latest (2014)
3.77
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
59th
of 103 countries
All-time high
4.21
in 2008
All-time low
3.58
in 1975
Years of data
24
1973–2014

Police officers per 1,000 people in Ireland, 1973–2014

012341973199320141973: 3.71975: 3.61976: 3.61977: 3.71978: 3.81979: 3.81980: 3.91995: 41997: 41998: 41999: 4.12000: 4.12003: 42004: 42005: 3.92006: 42007: 4.12008: 4.22009: 4.22010: 4.22011: 42012: 3.92013: 3.82014: 3.8

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2014, police officers per 1,000 people in Ireland stood at 3.77.

That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, police officers per 1,000 people in Ireland peaked at 4.21 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 3.58, in 1975.

Ireland ranks 59th of 103 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Police officers per 1,000 people in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Police officers per 1,000 people in Ireland, 1973 to 2014.
Year Value Change
1973 3.67 —
1975 3.58 -2.6%
1976 3.61 +1.1%
1977 3.69 +2.1%
1978 3.82 +3.5%
1979 3.84 +0.4%
1980 3.9 +1.5%
1995 4 +2.7%
1997 3.99 -0.4%
1998 4.03 +1.0%
1999 4.05 +0.6%
2000 4.06 +0.2%
2003 4.01 -1.3%
2004 4 -0.2%
2005 3.95 -1.3%
2006 4.03 +2.1%
2007 4.13 +2.4%
2008 4.21 +2.0%
2009 4.21 -0.1%
2010 4.15 -1.3%
2011 4.04 -2.8%
2012 3.93 -2.7%
2013 3.85 -2.0%
2014 3.77 -1.9%

Ireland compared with similar countries

  • Ireland's 3.77 is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.14, 91% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
  • Ireland's 3.77 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.29, 88% of the median. (42 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 3.7 3.58 3.84 6
1980s 3.9 3.9 3.9 1
1990s 4.02 3.99 4.05 4
2000s 4.07 3.95 4.21 8
2010s 3.95 3.77 4.15 5

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 56 Estonia 3.98 compare
  2. 57 Chile 3.83 compare
  3. 58 Costa Rica 3.8 compare
  4. 60 Ecuador 3.74 compare
  5. 61 Eswatini 3.68 compare
  6. 62 Romania 3.68 compare

See the full ranking of 103 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is police officers per 1,000 people in Ireland?
Police officers per 1,000 people in Ireland was 3.77 in 2014, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest police officers per 1,000 people recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 4.21 in 2008.
What is the lowest police officers per 1,000 people recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 3.58 in 1975.
How does Ireland rank for police officers per 1,000 people?
Ireland ranks 59th out of 103 countries with data for 2014.
Is police officers per 1,000 people rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Police officers per 1,000 people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Police officers per 1,000 people in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/police-officers-per-1000-people/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Police officers per 1,000 people
Source
Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
103 places, 1,617 data points, 1973–2015
Last refreshed

Measures the number of police officers per 1,000 people.