Government spending vs gdp per capita in Ireland

Ireland: Government spending vs gdp per capita was 22.31 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
22.31
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
110th
of 151 countries
All-time high
66.82
in 2010
All-time low
17.19
in 1945
Years of data
93
1926–2024

Government spending vs gdp per capita in Ireland, 1926–2024

203040506070192619752024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2024, government spending vs gdp per capita in Ireland stood at 22.31.

That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 39.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending vs gdp per capita in Ireland peaked at 66.82 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 17.19, in 1945.

That places Ireland 110th out of 151 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 93 years of available data.

Government spending vs gdp per capita in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Government spending vs gdp per capita in Ireland, 1926 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1926 18.31
1929 18.65 +1.8%
1931 19.05 +2.1%
1933 24.54 +28.8%
1936 21.75 -11.3%
1937 22.85 +5.0%
1938 20.76 -9.1%
1939 26.86 +29.3%
1940 19.52 -27.3%
1941 19.33 -1.0%
1942 19.79 +2.4%
1943 18.04 -8.9%
1944 17.4 -3.5%
1945 17.19 -1.2%
1946 17.99 +4.6%
1947 18.91 +5.1%
1948 20.83 +10.1%
1949 22.69 +8.9%
1950 25.9 +14.1%
1951 22.56 -12.9%
1952 25.9 +14.8%
1953 25.32 -2.3%
1954 26.17 +3.4%
1955 24.67 -5.7%
1956 24.78 +0.4%
1957 27.22 +9.9%
1958 26.49 -2.7%
1959 23.6 -10.9%
1960 29.14 +23.5%
1961 31.44 +7.9%
1962 31.68 +0.8%
1963 33.65 +6.2%
1964 34.85 +3.6%
1965 35.82 +2.8%
1966 36.89 +3.0%
1967 39.3 +6.6%
1968 40.04 +1.9%
1969 42.54 +6.3%
1970 44.13 +3.7%
1971 45.33 +2.7%
1972 41.49 -8.5%
1973 40.3 -2.9%
1974 44.3 +9.9%
1975 48.19 +8.8%
1976 47.83 -0.8%
1977 44.57 -6.8%
1978 46.21 +3.7%
1979 48.66 +5.3%
1980 53.71 +10.4%
1981 54.11 +0.8%
1982 56.69 +4.8%
1983 55.56 -2.0%
1984 52.68 -5.2%
1985 53.22 +1.0%
1986 52.94 -0.5%
1987 51.4 -2.9%
1988 48.25 -6.1%
1989 42.49 -11.9%
1990 42.81 +0.7%
1991 44.4 +3.7%
1992 44.83 +0.9%
1993 44.63 -0.4%
1994 43.92 -1.6%
1995 41.36 -5.8%
1996 39.36 -4.8%
1997 36.85 -6.4%
1998 34.35 -6.8%
1999 33.91 -1.3%
2000 31.18 -8.0%
2001 33.02 +5.9%
2002 33.35 +1.0%
2003 33.13 -0.7%
2004 33.49 +1.1%
2005 33.76 +0.8%
2006 34.27 +1.5%
2007 36.64 +6.9%
2008 42.79 +16.8%
2009 48.9 +14.3%
2010 66.82 +36.6%
2011 46.85 -29.9%
2012 42.27 -9.8%
2013 39.84 -5.8%
2014 36.55 -8.3%
2015 28.07 -23.2%
2016 27.52 -2.0%
2017 25.28 -8.1%
2018 24.75 -2.1%
2019 23.87 -3.6%
2020 26.7 +11.9%
2021 23.59 -11.7%
2022 20.61 -12.6%
2023 22.1 +7.2%
2024 22.31 +0.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1920s 18.48 18.31 18.65 2
1930s 22.63 19.05 26.86 6
1940s 19.17 17.19 22.69 10
1950s 25.26 22.56 27.22 10
1960s 35.53 29.14 42.54 10
1970s 45.1 40.3 48.66 10
1980s 52.1 42.49 56.69 10
1990s 40.64 33.91 44.83 10
2000s 36.05 31.18 48.9 10
2010s 36.18 23.87 66.82 10
2020s 23.06 20.61 26.7 5

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 107 Thailand 22.71 compare
  2. 108 Republic of Korea 22.53 compare
  3. 109 Burundi 22.35 compare
  4. 111 Peru 22.27 compare
  5. 112 Congo 21.65 compare
  6. 113 United Arab Emirates 21.41 compare

See the full ranking of 151 places →

More economy & growth data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending vs gdp per capita in Ireland?
Government spending vs gdp per capita in Ireland was 22.31 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending vs gdp per capita recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 66.82 in 2010.
What is the lowest government spending vs gdp per capita recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 17.19 in 1945.
How does Ireland rank for government spending vs gdp per capita?
Ireland ranks 110th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending vs gdp per capita rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 39.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending vs gdp per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government spending vs gdp per capita in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/government-spending-vs-gdp-per-capita/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending vs gdp per capita
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
151 places, 9,265 data points, 1800–2024
Last refreshed