Europe & Central Asia · High income
Ireland: the economy in numbers
Per person: $131,592, or $155,089 at purchasing power parity. Population: 5.48 million (2025).
GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #23 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: −1.0%.
GDP
Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $21.8 billion in 1960, $722 billion in 2025.
GDP per capita
In 2025 dollars: $7,698 per person in 1960, $131,592 in 2025.
Real GDP growth
Average over 2016–2025: 6.6% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1961: 6 of 65.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Inflation
Consumer prices rose by 66.0% from 2000 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 20.9% in 1975.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Government debt, % of GDP
Highest since 1995: 119.0% of GDP in 2012. IMF forecast for 2031: 24.1%.
Stock market capitalization, % of GDP
In 2018 listed domestic companies were worth $110 billion, or 27.8% of GDP.
Population
1960: 2.83 million · 2025: 5.48 million.
Unemployment rate
1991: 15.8% · 2025: 4.6%.
Life expectancy at birth
1960: 70.2 years · 2024: 83.0 years.
Exports of goods and services
1970: 33.1% · 2025: 140.1%.
Data by year
Show the year-by-year table
| Year | GDP | GDP per capita | Per capita, PPP | Real growth | Inflation | Gov. debt, % GDP | Population | Unemployment | Stock market, % GDP | Life expectancy | Exports, % GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2031 | 2.3%f | 2.0%f | 24.1%f | ||||||||
| 2030 | 2.3%f | 2.0%f | 25.3%f | ||||||||
| 2029 | 2.4%f | 2.0%f | 26.9%f | ||||||||
| 2028 | 2.9%f | 1.9%f | 28.7%f | ||||||||
| 2027 | 3.7%f | 2.8%f | 30.8%f | ||||||||
| 2026 | −1.0%f | 3.4%f | 33.5%f | ||||||||
| 2025 | $722B | $131,592 | $155,089 | 12.3% | 2.2% | 34.8% | 5.48M | 4.6% | 140.1% | ||
| 2024 | $609B | $112,895 | $140,779 | 2.6% | 2.1% | 38.4% | 5.4M | 4.3% | 83.0 | 144.0% | |
| 2023 | $567B | $106,819 | $133,440 | −2.5% | 6.3% | 42.1% | 5.31M | 4.2% | 82.8 | 136.5% | |
| 2022 | $548B | $105,191 | $138,465 | 7.5% | 7.8% | 42.8% | 5.21M | 4.5% | 82.5 | 139.5% | |
| 2021 | $530B | $103,783 | $116,703 | 16.3% | 2.3% | 52.4% | 5.11M | 6.4% | 82.3 | 136.4% | |
| 2020 | $436B | $86,514 | $97,677 | 7.2% | −0.3% | 57.1% | 5.04M | 5.6% | 82.5 | 139.8% | |
| 2019 | $407B | $81,828 | $92,042 | 5.0% | 0.9% | 55.8% | 4.98M | 5.0% | 82.7 | 131.2% | |
| 2018 | $396B | $80,804 | $86,369 | 7.7% | 0.5% | 61.4% | 4.9M | 5.7% | 27.8% | 82.2 | 126.0% |
| 2017 | $348B | $72,161 | $80,409 | 10.1% | 0.4% | 65.3% | 4.83M | 6.7% | 42.1% | 82.2 | 128.5% |
| 2016 | $305B | $64,130 | $72,941 | 1.2% | 0.0% | 72.7% | 4.76M | 8.4% | 39.2% | 81.7 | 129.2% |
| 2015 | $302B | $64,250 | $71,520 | 24.6% | −0.3% | 74.1% | 4.7M | 9.9% | 42.4% | 81.5 | 126.7% |
| 2014 | $266B | $57,215 | $52,582 | 9.4% | 0.2% | 101.5% | 4.66M | 11.9% | 53.8% | 81.3 | 115.1% |
| 2013 | $243B | $52,538 | $48,763 | 2.2% | 0.5% | 117.8% | 4.62M | 13.7% | 70.0% | 80.9 | 109.7% |
| 2012 | $227B | $49,336 | $46,654 | −0.4% | 1.7% | 119.0% | 4.6M | 15.5% | 48.0% | 80.8 | 103.8% |
| 2011 | $241B | $52,614 | $45,458 | 1.6% | 2.5% | 109.7% | 4.58M | 15.4% | 45.0% | 80.7 | 102.4% |
| 2010 | $222B | $48,624 | $43,163 | 1.7% | −0.9% | 86.3% | 4.56M | 14.5% | 27.2% | 80.7 | 103.3% |
| 2009 | $236B | $52,133 | $41,491 | −5.1% | −4.4% | 61.8% | 4.54M | 12.6% | 25.9% | 80.2 | 93.6% |
| 2008 | $275B | $61,353 | $44,169 | −4.5% | 4.0% | 42.5% | 4.49M | 6.8% | 18.0% | 80.1 | 84.3% |
| 2007 | $270B | $61,396 | $46,782 | 5.3% | 4.9% | 24.0% | 4.4M | 5.0% | 53.3% | 79.6 | 80.8% |
| 2006 | $232B | $54,329 | $44,223 | 5.0% | 3.9% | 23.7% | 4.27M | 4.4% | 70.3% | 79.2 | 79.0% |
| 2005 | $212B | $50,933 | $40,466 | 5.7% | 2.5% | 26.1% | 4.16M | 4.2% | 53.8% | 78.9 | 79.5% |
| 2004 | $194B | $47,754 | $38,729 | 6.8% | 2.2% | 28.0% | 4.07M | 4.5% | 58.7% | 78.5 | 80.5% |
| 2003 | $165B | $41,204 | $36,280 | 3.0% | 3.5% | 29.8% | 4.0M | 4.5% | 51.7% | 78.1 | 80.8% |
| 2002 | $129B | $32,705 | $35,222 | 5.9% | 4.6% | 30.9% | 3.93M | 4.2% | 46.6% | 77.6 | 90.4% |
| 2001 | $109B | $28,282 | $32,573 | 5.3% | 4.9% | 33.6% | 3.87M | 3.7% | 68.9% | 77.1 | 95.2% |
| 2000 | $100B | $26,335 | $30,216 | 9.4% | 5.6% | 36.4% | 3.81M | 4.3% | 81.7% | 76.5 | 94.4% |
| 1999 | $98.9B | $26,338 | $27,041 | 10.5% | 1.6% | 46.6% | 3.75M | 5.8% | 69.5% | 76.1 | 86.5% |
| 1998 | $90.2B | $24,295 | $25,094 | 8.8% | 2.4% | 51.4% | 3.71M | 7.7% | 77.2% | 76.2 | 84.3% |
| 1997 | $82.9B | $22,551 | $22,637 | 11.0% | 1.5% | 61.6% | 3.67M | 10.2% | 59.0% | 76.0 | 77.1% |
| 1996 | $75.8B | $20,836 | $20,482 | 7.4% | 1.8% | 69.8% | 3.64M | 11.7% | 75.8 | 74.9% | |
| 1995 | $69.1B | $19,158 | $18,944 | 9.6% | 2.5% | 78.5% | 3.61M | 12.0% | 75.5 | 73.5% | |
| 1994 | $57.1B | $15,903 | $17,011 | 5.8% | 2.3% | 3.59M | 14.5% | 75.8 | 68.0% | ||
| 1993 | $52.4B | $14,657 | $15,811 | 2.7% | 1.5% | 3.58M | 15.6% | 75.3 | 63.4% | ||
| 1992 | $55.9B | $15,714 | $15,116 | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.56M | 15.0% | 75.4 | 58.4% | ||
| 1991 | $49.8B | $14,087 | $14,399 | 1.9% | 3.2% | 3.53M | 15.8% | 75.0 | 55.6% | ||
| 1990 | $49.3B | $14,031 | $13,743 | 8.5% | 3.3% | 3.51M | 74.8 | 54.7% | |||
| 1989 | $39.2B | $11,176 | 5.8% | 4.1% | 3.51M | 74.5 | 58.9% | ||||
| 1988 | $37.8B | $10,716 | 5.2% | 2.1% | 3.52M | 74.4 | 55.6% | ||||
| 1987 | $33.9B | $9,582 | 4.7% | 3.2% | 3.54M | 74.4 | 52.4% | ||||
| 1986 | $28.7B | $8,112 | −0.4% | 3.8% | 3.54M | 73.7 | 49.1% | ||||
| 1985 | $21.3B | $6,012 | 3.1% | 5.4% | 3.54M | 73.6 | 54.0% | ||||
| 1984 | $20.1B | $5,692 | 4.4% | 8.7% | 3.53M | 73.7 | 53.3% | ||||
| 1983 | $20.8B | $5,915 | −0.2% | 10.4% | 3.51M | 73.2 | 47.0% | ||||
| 1982 | $21.5B | $6,161 | 2.3% | 17.1% | 3.49M | 73.2 | 43.0% | ||||
| 1981 | $20.7B | $5,986 | 3.3% | 20.4% | 3.45M | 73.0 | 43.4% | ||||
| 1980 | $21.7B | $6,372 | 3.1% | 18.2% | 3.41M | 72.6 | 44.4% | ||||
| 1979 | $18.3B | $5,430 | 3.1% | 13.3% | 3.37M | 72.3 | 44.5% | ||||
| 1978 | $14.6B | $4,400 | 7.2% | 7.7% | 3.33M | 72.0 | 44.7% | ||||
| 1977 | $11.2B | $3,427 | 8.2% | 13.5% | 3.28M | 72.0 | 44.2% | ||||
| 1976 | $9.45B | $2,920 | 1.4% | 18.0% | 3.24M | 71.9 | 41.4% | ||||
| 1975 | $9.48B | $2,973 | 5.7% | 20.9% | 3.19M | 71.8 | 38.2% | ||||
| 1974 | $7.9B | $2,517 | 4.3% | 17.0% | 3.14M | 71.2 | 38.1% | ||||
| 1973 | $7.48B | $2,424 | 4.7% | 11.4% | 3.09M | 71.2 | 34.0% | ||||
| 1972 | $6.32B | $2,080 | 6.5% | 8.6% | 3.04M | 71.0 | 30.9% | ||||
| 1971 | $5.1B | $1,704 | 3.5% | 9.0% | 2.99M | 71.7 | 32.3% | ||||
| 1970 | $4.4B | $1,487 | 2.7% | 8.2% | 2.96M | 70.9 | 33.1% | ||||
| 1969 | $3.9B | $1,331 | 5.9% | 7.4% | 2.93M | 70.9 | |||||
| 1968 | $3.38B | $1,159 | 8.2% | 4.7% | 2.92M | 70.9 | |||||
| 1967 | $3.45B | $1,187 | 5.8% | 3.2% | 2.9M | 71.2 | |||||
| 1966 | $3.2B | $1,107 | 0.9% | 3.1% | 2.89M | 70.2 | |||||
| 1965 | $3.04B | $1,055 | 1.9% | 5.0% | 2.88M | 70.7 | |||||
| 1964 | $2.85B | $995 | 3.8% | 6.7% | 2.87M | 70.5 | |||||
| 1963 | $2.51B | $878 | 4.7% | 2.5% | 2.85M | 70.2 | |||||
| 1962 | $2.33B | $821 | 3.2% | 4.3% | 2.84M | 70.0 | |||||
| 1961 | $2.15B | $762 | 5.0% | 2.8% | 2.82M | 69.7 | |||||
| 1960 | $2.0B | $707 | 0.5% | 2.83M | 70.2 |
e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast.
Nearby economies in Europe & Central Asia
Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.
Albania · Andorra · Armenia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Channel Islands · Croatia · Cyprus · Czechia · Denmark · Estonia · Faroe Islands · Finland · France · Georgia · Germany · Gibraltar · Greece · Greenland · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Isle of Man · Italy · Kazakhstan · Kosovo · Kyrgyzstan · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · North Macedonia · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Tajikistan · Turkmenistan · Türkiye · Ukraine · United Kingdom · Uzbekistan
Rankings
GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country
Data and methods
- GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
- Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
- In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
- Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
- Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
- Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
- Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)