Social spending as share of GDP in Ireland
Ireland: Social spending as share of GDP was 0.1% in 2021. ▬ Flat
Social spending as share of GDP in Ireland, 1980–2021
Source: OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for social spending as share of gdp in Ireland is 0.1%, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is down 22.1% on the previous year and down 75.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social spending as share of gdp in Ireland peaked at 0.6% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2021.
Ireland ranks 39th of 42 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Social spending as share of GDP in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.1% | — |
| 1981 | 0.1% | +38.6% |
| 1982 | 0.2% | +53.9% |
| 1983 | 0.2% | -10.7% |
| 1984 | 0.2% | +7.0% |
| 1985 | 0.2% | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 0.2% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 0.2% | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 0.2% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 0.2% | -4.9% |
| 1990 | 0.3% | +76.8% |
| 1991 | 0.3% | +9.1% |
| 1992 | 0.3% | +14.4% |
| 1993 | 0.3% | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 0.3% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | -4.3% |
| 1996 | 0.3% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 0.3% | -4.4% |
| 1998 | 0.3% | -6.8% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | -9.3% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | +19.3% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | +10.2% |
| 2004 | 0.3% | -5.2% |
| 2005 | 0.3% | -5.4% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | +21.3% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | +32.2% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | -44.6% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | -11.7% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | -5.9% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -25.3% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | -17.7% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -25.3% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -6.8% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | -6.4% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | -7.9% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | -7.5% |
| 2021 | 0.1% | -22.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 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)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 35,990 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 21.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5939 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 78,151 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 16.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.5256 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 69,162 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 14.64 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social spending as share of gdp in Ireland?
- Social spending as share of gdp in Ireland was 0.1% in 2021, according to OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 2009.
- What is the lowest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2021.
- How does Ireland rank for social spending as share of gdp?
- Ireland ranks 39th out of 42 countries with data for 2021.
- Is social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 75.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Social spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Public social expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage. Includes both in-cash and in-kind benefits in other social policy programs.