Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Ireland
Ireland: Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life was 94.5% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Ireland, 1973–2016
Source: Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2016, share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Ireland stood at 94.5%. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Ireland peaked at 94.5% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 74.1%, in 1988.
That places Ireland 7th out of 34 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 92.0% | — |
| 1975 | 88.7% | -3.6% |
| 1976 | 87.6% | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 88.4% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 88.7% | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 83.5% | -5.9% |
| 1980 | 86.2% | +3.3% |
| 1981 | 82.1% | -4.8% |
| 1982 | 86.0% | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 81.8% | -4.8% |
| 1984 | 83.8% | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 81.2% | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 81.3% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 76.5% | -5.9% |
| 1988 | 74.1% | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 82.3% | +11.0% |
| 1990 | 86.7% | +5.3% |
| 1991 | 86.8% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 84.8% | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 84.7% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 86.0% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 90.4% | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 91.1% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 89.0% | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 87.3% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 87.2% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 89.7% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 88.2% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 85.6% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 92.6% | +8.1% |
| 2005 | 90.6% | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 90.4% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 89.7% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 87.8% | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 88.6% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 85.5% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 86.7% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 83.5% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 82.0% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 90.9% | +10.9% |
| 2015 | 92.8% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 94.5% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 88.1% | 83.5% | 92.0% | 6 |
| 1980s | 81.5% | 74.1% | 86.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 87.4% | 84.7% | 91.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 89.0% | 85.6% | 92.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 88.0% | 82.0% | 94.5% | 7 |
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 share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Ireland?
- Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Ireland was 94.5% in 2016, according to Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people who say they are satisfied with their life recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 94.5% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of people who say they are satisfied with their life recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.1% in 1988.
- How does Ireland rank for share of people who say they are satisfied with their life?
- Ireland ranks 7th out of 34 countries with data for 2016.
- Is share of people who say they are satisfied with their life rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of people answering "very satisfied" or "fairly satisfied" to the question "On the whole, are you very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied, or not at all satisfied with the life you lead?"