State Capacity Index in Ireland

Ireland: State Capacity Index was 2.01 in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)
2.01
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
13th
of 166 countries
All-time high
2.13
in 2007
All-time low
0.8933
in 1961
Years of data
56
1960–2015

State Capacity Index in Ireland, 1960–2015

00.511.52196019872015

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2015, state capacity index in Ireland stood at 2.01.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, state capacity index in Ireland peaked at 2.13 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.8933, in 1961.

Ireland ranks 13th of 166 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.

State Capacity Index in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for State Capacity Index in Ireland, 1960 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1960 0.9126
1961 0.8933 -2.1%
1962 0.9111 +2.0%
1963 0.9613 +5.5%
1964 0.9936 +3.4%
1965 1.11 +11.9%
1966 1.18 +6.0%
1967 1.16 -1.6%
1968 1.13 -2.6%
1969 1.12 -0.4%
1970 1.12 -0.7%
1971 1.15 +2.6%
1972 0.9973 -13.0%
1973 0.99 -0.7%
1974 1.02 +3.3%
1975 1.07 +4.7%
1976 1.15 +7.0%
1977 1.15 +0.5%
1978 1.24 +8.0%
1979 1.31 +5.4%
1980 1.49 +13.8%
1981 1.69 +13.4%
1982 1.74 +2.9%
1983 1.78 +2.4%
1984 1.78 -0.3%
1985 1.74 -2.1%
1986 1.73 -0.4%
1987 1.75 +0.7%
1988 1.77 +1.2%
1989 1.75 -1.1%
1990 1.88 +7.6%
1991 1.94 +3.1%
1992 1.95 +0.4%
1993 1.94 -0.1%
1994 2.07 +6.5%
1995 2.03 -1.7%
1996 2.05 +0.9%
1997 2.04 -0.5%
1998 2.06 +1.1%
1999 2.06 +0.0%
2000 2.06 +0.0%
2001 2.03 -1.5%
2002 2.01 -1.2%
2003 2.04 +1.8%
2004 2.07 +1.2%
2005 2.08 +0.5%
2006 2.11 +1.6%
2007 2.13 +0.7%
2008 2.09 -1.7%
2009 2.06 -1.5%
2010 1.76 -14.3%
2011 2.05 +16.1%
2012 2.05 -0.0%
2013 2.05 +0.0%
2014 2.07 +0.9%
2015 2.01 -2.8%

Ireland compared with similar countries

  • Ireland's 2.01 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.59, 1.3× the median. (49 countries reporting)
  • Ireland's 2.01 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.41, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 1.04 0.8933 1.18 10
1970s 1.12 0.99 1.31 10
1980s 1.72 1.49 1.78 10
1990s 2 1.88 2.07 10
2000s 2.07 2.01 2.13 10
2010s 2 1.76 2.07 6

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 10 Australia 2.22 compare
  2. 11 Netherlands 2.21 compare
  3. 12 Canada 2.1 compare
  4. 14 Spain 2 compare
  5. 15 South Korea 1.96 compare
  6. 16 United States 1.86 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is state capacity index in Ireland?
State capacity index in Ireland was 2.01 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest state capacity index recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 2.13 in 2007.
What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.8933 in 1961.
How does Ireland rank for state capacity index?
Ireland ranks 13th out of 166 countries with data for 2015.
Is state capacity index rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. 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); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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State Capacity Index in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
State Capacity Index
Source
Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.