Ireland
Key national indicators — politics without spin.
Last updated
01 Sep 2026
Economics
Average wage
Average wage
Gross means before income tax and employee social contributions are deducted, so take-home pay is lower. Figures are model-based estimates for a single full-time worker, which makes them comparable across EU countries but not identical to national survey averages.
Average annual gross earnings of a single worker (no children) at the average wage level. Source: Eurostat, model-based.
Current account balance
Current account balance
No additional info for this KPI.
Balance of trade, income and transfers with the rest of the world, as a share of GDP.
GDP (total)
GDP (total)
No additional info for this KPI.
Gross domestic product — total value of goods and services produced.
GDP growth
GDP growth
No additional info for this KPI.
Annual percentage growth of GDP.
GDP per capita
GDP per capita
No additional info for this KPI.
GDP divided by population — average economic output per person.
GDP per capita (PPP)
GDP per capita (PPP)
No additional info for this KPI.
GDP per person adjusted for purchasing power — better for comparing living standards.
Income inequality (Gini)
Income inequality (Gini)
No additional info for this KPI.
Gini index of income inequality (0 = perfect equality, 100 = maximal). Lower is more equal.
GNI per capita
GNI per capita
No additional info for this KPI.
Gross national income per person (Atlas method) — includes income earned abroad.
Government debt
Government debt
No additional info for this KPI.
General government consolidated gross debt as a percentage of GDP. Source: Eurostat.
Inflation (CPI)
Inflation (CPI)
No additional info for this KPI.
Consumer price index — annual percentage change in the cost of a basket of goods.
Labour participation
Labour participation
No additional info for this KPI.
Share of the working-age population that is employed or actively seeking work.
Unemployment
Unemployment
No additional info for this KPI.
Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking employment.
Demographics
Fertility rate
Fertility rate
No additional info for this KPI.
Average number of children per woman. Around 2.1 is the population replacement level.
Net migration
Net migration
No additional info for this KPI.
Immigrants minus emigrants over the period. Positive means a net inflow of people.
Old-age dependency
Old-age dependency
No additional info for this KPI.
People aged 65+ per 100 working-age people. Higher ratios strain pensions and healthcare.
Population
Population
No additional info for this KPI.
Total population.
Population growth
Population growth
No additional info for this KPI.
Annual population growth rate, including natural change and net migration.
Urban population
Urban population
No additional info for this KPI.
Share of the population living in urban areas.
Health
Health expenditure
Health expenditure
No additional info for this KPI.
Total public and private current health spending as a share of GDP.
Infant mortality
Infant mortality
No additional info for this KPI.
Deaths of infants before age one per 1,000 live births — a sensitive measure of health-system quality.
Life expectancy
Life expectancy
No additional info for this KPI.
Average number of years a newborn is expected to live.
Maternal mortality
Maternal mortality
No additional info for this KPI.
Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (modelled estimate).
Physicians
Physicians
No additional info for this KPI.
Number of physicians per 1,000 people — a proxy for healthcare capacity.
Environment
CO2 emissions per capita
CO2 emissions per capita
No additional info for this KPI.
Carbon dioxide emissions (excluding land use) per person, in tonnes per year.
Renewable energy share
Renewable energy share
No additional info for this KPI.
Share of renewables in total final energy consumption.
Safe sanitation
Safe sanitation
No additional info for this KPI.
Share of the population using safely managed sanitation services.
Safe drinking water
Safe drinking water
No additional info for this KPI.
Share of the population using safely managed drinking-water services.
Trade & Investment
Exports
Exports
No additional info for this KPI.
Exports of goods and services as a share of GDP — a measure of trade openness.
Trade balance
Trade balance
No additional info for this KPI.
External balance on goods and services (exports minus imports) as a share of GDP.
Foreign direct investment
Foreign direct investment
No additional info for this KPI.
Net inflows of foreign direct investment as a share of GDP.
High-tech exports
High-tech exports
No additional info for this KPI.
High-technology products as a share of manufactured exports.
Innovation & Infrastructure
Education expenditure
Education expenditure
No additional info for this KPI.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP.
Internet users
Internet users
No additional info for this KPI.
Share of the population using the internet.
Mobile subscriptions
Mobile subscriptions
No additional info for this KPI.
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people.
R&D expenditure
R&D expenditure
No additional info for this KPI.
Gross spending on research and development as a share of GDP.
Governance & Security
Corruption Perceptions Index
Corruption Perceptions Index
No additional info for this KPI.
Transparency International CPI score (0 = highly corrupt, 100 = very clean).
Homicide rate
Homicide rate
No additional info for this KPI.
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people — the most reliable cross-country crime measure.
Military expenditure
Military expenditure
No additional info for this KPI.
Defence spending as a share of GDP. The NATO guideline is 2 percent.
Quality of Life
Happiness score
Happiness score
Respondents rate their current life on a ladder from 0 (worst possible) to 10 (best possible). The figure is a three-year rolling average from the Gallup World Poll. Unlike a global rank, the score lets you compare countries directly — a higher number is happier.
Self-reported life satisfaction on the Cantril ladder (0 = worst, 10 = best possible life), a 3-year average. Source: World Happiness Report via Our World in Data.