Expense in Ireland

Ireland: Expense was 19.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
19.2%
Change on year
down 13.6%
World rank
114th
of 157 countries
All-time high
62.4%
in 2010
All-time low
19.2%
in 2022
Years of data
51
1972–2022

Expense in Ireland, 1972–2022

2030405060197219972022

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 19.2% for expense in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 51 years on record.

The figure is down 13.6% on the previous year and down 51.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, expense in Ireland peaked at 62.4% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 19.2%, in 2022.

Ireland ranks 114th of 157 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.

Expense in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Expense (% of GDP) in Ireland, 1972 to 2022.
Year % of GDP Change
1972 28.7%
1973 28.7% -0.0%
1974 31.5% +10.0%
1975 34.8% +10.4%
1976 35.3% +1.4%
1977 34.1% -3.4%
1978 35.4% +3.7%
1979 36.9% +4.4%
1980 40.3% +9.1%
1981 42.2% +4.7%
1982 45.6% +8.1%
1983 46.5% +2.0%
1984 45.0% -3.2%
1985 45.9% +1.9%
1986 45.0% -1.8%
1987 44.7% -0.7%
1988 41.1% -8.1%
1989 35.2% -14.4%
1990 35.7% +1.6%
1991 37.1% +3.9%
1992 37.6% +1.2%
1993 37.6% +0.1%
1994 37.1% -1.4%
1995 37.2% +0.3%
1996 35.4% -5.0%
1997 33.1% -6.5%
1998 31.1% -6.0%
1999 29.4% -5.4%
2000 27.7% -5.8%
2001 29.0% +4.7%
2002 29.5% +1.7%
2003 29.7% +0.9%
2004 29.7% -0.0%
2005 30.4% +2.4%
2006 30.7% +0.8%
2007 31.9% +4.1%
2008 37.1% +16.1%
2009 44.0% +18.8%
2010 62.4% +41.7%
2011 44.5% -28.7%
2012 40.0% -10.1%
2013 37.6% -5.9%
2014 34.4% -8.6%
2015 26.6% -22.7%
2016 25.7% -3.2%
2017 23.7% -7.7%
2018 23.1% -2.9%
2019 22.0% -4.6%
2020 25.1% +14.2%
2021 22.3% -11.4%
2022 19.2% -13.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 33.2% 28.7% 36.9% 8
1980s 43.1% 35.2% 46.5% 10
1990s 35.1% 29.4% 37.6% 10
2000s 32.0% 27.7% 44.0% 10
2010s 34.0% 22.0% 62.4% 10
2020s 22.2% 19.2% 25.1% 3

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 111 Macao 19.6% compare
  2. 112 Burkina Faso 19.6% compare
  3. 113 Nepal 19.4% compare
  4. 115 Canada 19.1% compare
  5. 116 Paraguay 18.9% compare
  6. 117 Dominican Republic 18.1% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More economy & growth data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is expense in Ireland?
Expense in Ireland was 19.2% in 2022, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest expense recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 62.4% in 2010.
What is the lowest expense recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 19.2% in 2022.
How does Ireland rank for expense?
Ireland ranks 114th out of 157 countries with data for 2022.
Is expense rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 51.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Expense (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Expense in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/expense-percent-of-gdp/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Expense (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
183 places, 5,211 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. 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.