Public expenditure on disability and sickness cash benefits in % GDP in Ireland
Ireland: Public expenditure on disability and sickness cash benefits in % GDP was 1.16 Percentage of GDP in 2021. ▼ Falling
Public expenditure on disability and sickness cash benefits in % GDP in Ireland, 1980–2021
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for public expenditure on disability and sickness cash benefits in % gdp in Ireland is 1.16 Percentage of GDP, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.4% on the previous year and down 47.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public expenditure on disability and sickness cash benefits in % gdp in Ireland peaked at 2.59 Percentage of GDP in 1986 and was at its lowest, 1.15 Percentage of GDP, in 2000.
That places Ireland 25th out of 33 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 42 years of available data.
Public expenditure on disability and sickness cash benefits in % GDP in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Percentage of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.3 Percentage of GDP | — |
| 1981 | 2.34 Percentage of GDP | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 2.51 Percentage of GDP | +7.4% |
| 1983 | 2.5 Percentage of GDP | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 2.46 Percentage of GDP | -1.7% |
| 1985 | 2.55 Percentage of GDP | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 2.59 Percentage of GDP | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 2.45 Percentage of GDP | -5.2% |
| 1988 | 2.19 Percentage of GDP | -10.9% |
| 1989 | 1.98 Percentage of GDP | -9.4% |
| 1990 | 1.72 Percentage of GDP | -13.1% |
| 1991 | 1.77 Percentage of GDP | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 1.78 Percentage of GDP | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 1.73 Percentage of GDP | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 1.64 Percentage of GDP | -5.1% |
| 1995 | 1.89 Percentage of GDP | +15.6% |
| 1996 | 1.6 Percentage of GDP | -15.7% |
| 1997 | 1.44 Percentage of GDP | -10.1% |
| 1998 | 1.36 Percentage of GDP | -5.2% |
| 1999 | 1.27 Percentage of GDP | -6.3% |
| 2000 | 1.15 Percentage of GDP | -9.7% |
| 2001 | 1.2 Percentage of GDP | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 1.28 Percentage of GDP | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 1.33 Percentage of GDP | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 1.4 Percentage of GDP | +4.8% |
| 2005 | 1.45 Percentage of GDP | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 1.53 Percentage of GDP | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 1.67 Percentage of GDP | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 1.99 Percentage of GDP | +19.1% |
| 2009 | 2.31 Percentage of GDP | +16.4% |
| 2010 | 2.37 Percentage of GDP | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 2.2 Percentage of GDP | -7.2% |
| 2012 | 2.09 Percentage of GDP | -4.7% |
| 2013 | 2.06 Percentage of GDP | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 1.86 Percentage of GDP | -9.6% |
| 2015 | 1.42 Percentage of GDP | -23.8% |
| 2016 | 1.45 Percentage of GDP | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 1.38 Percentage of GDP | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 1.35 Percentage of GDP | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 1.31 Percentage of GDP | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 1.36 Percentage of GDP | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 1.16 Percentage of GDP | -14.4% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 1.16 Percentage of GDP is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.03 Percentage of GDP, 57% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 1.16 Percentage of GDP is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.98 Percentage of GDP, 59% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.39 Percentage of GDP | 1.98 Percentage of GDP | 2.59 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.62 Percentage of GDP | 1.27 Percentage of GDP | 1.89 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.53 Percentage of GDP | 1.15 Percentage of GDP | 2.31 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.75 Percentage of GDP | 1.31 Percentage of GDP | 2.37 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.26 Percentage of GDP | 1.16 Percentage of GDP | 1.36 Percentage of GDP | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 67.14 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.1102 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 12,444 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 4.82 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 103.44 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0079 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 893.09 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 7.57 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public expenditure on disability and sickness cash benefits in % gdp in Ireland?
- Public expenditure on disability and sickness cash benefits in % gdp in Ireland was 1.16 Percentage of GDP in 2021, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest public expenditure on disability and sickness cash benefits in % gdp recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.59 Percentage of GDP in 1986.
- What is the lowest public expenditure on disability and sickness cash benefits in % gdp recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.15 Percentage of GDP in 2000.
- How does Ireland rank for public expenditure on disability and sickness cash benefits in % gdp?
- Ireland ranks 25th out of 33 countries with data for 2021.
- Is public expenditure on disability and sickness cash benefits in % gdp rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Public expenditure on disability and sickness cash benefits in % GDP — Social expenditure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The OECD Social Expenditure Database (SOCX) has been developed in order to serve a growing need for indicators of social policy. It includes reliable and internationally comparable statistics on public and mandatory and voluntary private social expenditure at programme level. SOCX provides a unique tool for monitoring trends in aggregate social expenditure and analysing changes in its composition. It covers 38 OECD countries and some accession countries for the period 1980-2021/23 and estimates for aggregates for 2022-24. A Social Expenditure Update can be found under www.oecd.org/en/data/datasets/social-expenditure-database-socx.htm. The main social policy areas are as follows: Old age, Survivors, Incapacity-related benefits, Health, Family, Active labor market programmes, Unemployment, Housing, and Other social policy areas. This version also includes estimates of net total social spending for 2021 for 38 OECD countries. SOCX aggregated data as well as sources and methodology are described in The OECD SOCX Manual – 2019 edition- A guide to the OECD Social Expenditure Database.