Current account balance in Ireland
Ireland: Current account balance was 17.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Current account balance in Ireland, 2005–2024
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 17.4% for current account balance in 2024. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.
The figure is up 120.6% on the previous year and up 737.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current account balance in Ireland peaked at 17.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, -20.6%, in 2019.
Ireland ranks 7th of 200 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Current account balance in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | -3.4% | — |
| 2006 | -3.4% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | -5.1% | +51.4% |
| 2008 | -5.6% | +8.3% |
| 2009 | -2.1% | -61.9% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | -149.4% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | +12.2% |
| 2012 | -3.4% | -389.4% |
| 2013 | 2.4% | -170.6% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | -13.5% |
| 2015 | 6.2% | +197.2% |
| 2016 | -1.2% | -119.3% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | -238.4% |
| 2018 | 4.5% | +175.0% |
| 2019 | -20.6% | -553.5% |
| 2020 | -6.7% | -67.3% |
| 2021 | 12.3% | -282.7% |
| 2022 | 8.8% | -28.1% |
| 2023 | 7.9% | -10.7% |
| 2024 | 17.4% | +120.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | -3.9% | -5.6% | -2.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | -0.6% | -20.6% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.9% | -6.7% | 17.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 4 San Marino 22.0% compare
- 5 Marshall Islands 21.9% compare
- 6 Brunei Darussalam 18.0% compare
- 8 Tajikistan 17.1% compare
- 9 Singapore 16.7% compare
- 10 Andorra 16.0% compare
More economy & growth data for Ireland
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.96 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.52 Percent per annum (2029)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 9.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.8217 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 108,129 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth 13.87 % change on previous year (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth 9.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 17.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 0.0094 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 1,231 current LCU per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current account balance in Ireland?
- Current account balance in Ireland was 17.4% in 2024, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest current account balance recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 17.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest current account balance recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was -20.6% in 2019.
- How does Ireland rank for current account balance?
- Ireland ranks 7th out of 200 countries with data for 2024.
- Is current account balance rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 737.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Current account balance (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Balance of current transactions (transactions in goods and services, earned income and transfer income) between residents and non-residents. The term current account balance is used in the external accounts and is expressed from the perspective of resident units. The term current external balance is used in the national accounts and is expressed from the perspective of the non-resident units, and therefore with the opposite sign. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.