Government spending per capita in Ireland
Ireland: Government spending per capita was 31,581 current international-$ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending per capita in Ireland, 2007–2024
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in current international-$.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 31,581 current international-$ for government spending per capita in 2024. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.2% on the previous year and up 64.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending per capita in Ireland peaked at 31,581 current international-$ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 16,669 current international-$, in 2007.
That places Ireland 14th out of 43 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Government spending per capita in Ireland, year by year
| Year | current international-$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 16,669 current international-$ | — |
| 2008 | 18,329 current international-$ | +10.0% |
| 2009 | 19,432 current international-$ | +6.0% |
| 2010 | 28,036 current international-$ | +44.3% |
| 2011 | 21,306 current international-$ | -24.0% |
| 2012 | 19,732 current international-$ | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 19,444 current international-$ | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 19,242 current international-$ | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 20,102 current international-$ | +4.5% |
| 2016 | 20,113 current international-$ | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 20,354 current international-$ | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 21,407 current international-$ | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 22,008 current international-$ | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 26,110 current international-$ | +18.6% |
| 2021 | 27,564 current international-$ | +5.6% |
| 2022 | 28,685 current international-$ | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 29,745 current international-$ | +3.7% |
| 2024 | 31,581 current international-$ | +6.2% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 31,581 current international-$ is above the median for high income countries, which is 26,582 current international-$, 1.2× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 31,581 current international-$ is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 27,928 current international-$, 1.1× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending per capita in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +44.3% | 19,432 current international-$ | 28,036 current international-$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18,143 current international-$ | 16,669 current international-$ | 19,432 current international-$ | 3 |
| 2010s | 21,174 current international-$ | 19,242 current international-$ | 28,036 current international-$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 28,737 current international-$ | 26,110 current international-$ | 31,581 current international-$ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 11 France 35,798 current international-$ compare
- 12 United States 34,073 current international-$ compare
- 13 Switzerland 32,409 current international-$ compare
- 15 Italy 31,377 current international-$ compare
- 16 Australia 29,639 current international-$ compare
- 17 Canada 29,521 current international-$ compare
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 government spending per capita in Ireland?
- Government spending per capita in Ireland was 31,581 current international-$ in 2024, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending per capita recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 31,581 current international-$ in 2024.
- What is the lowest government spending per capita recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 16,669 current international-$ in 2007.
- How does Ireland rank for government spending per capita?
- Ireland ranks 14th out of 43 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending per capita rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 64.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total amount of money the general government spends per capita. This data is adjusted for differences in living costs between countries but not for inflation.