Ireland in numbers
Where Ireland stands among the 27 EU member states on income, jobs, prices and inequality, and who lives there. Every figure is a link to the Eurostat table it was read from; where Eurostat publishes nothing, the page says so.
Reading Ireland's numbers
- Irish GDP is inflated by the accounting of large multinational firms based in the country. GDP per head therefore overstates what the average household earns or spends; read the income, poverty and minimum-wage rows beside it rather than GDP alone.
- Ireland sets one national statutory minimum wage and revises it periodically; the half-yearly figures below show the rate in force at each reference date.
- Eurostat flags the latest Ireland figure as estimated or provisional, so it may be revised, for: Statutory minimum wage, adjusted for prices (2026-S2).
Where it stands in the EU
Most unusual measures first.
| Measure | Period | Ireland | EU | Among EU states with a figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic growthreal GDP, change on the year | 2025 | 8.0% | 1.4% | highest of 27 |
| GDP per headindex, EU = 100 | 2025 | 224 | 100 | 2nd highest of 27 |
| GDP per head, adjusted for pricespurchasing power standard | 2025 | 93,360 | 41,699 | 2nd highest of 27 |
| Top fifth earns this many times the bottom fifthincome quintile share ratio | 2025 | 3.89 | 4.62 | 21st highest of 27 |
| Income inequality (Gini)0 to 100, higher is more unequal | 2025 | 27.2 | 29.2 | 20th highest of 27 |
| Unemployment rateages 15 to 74, both sexes | 2025 | 4.7% | 6.0% | 18th highest of 27 |
Ranks compare the 27 EU member states. Eurostat’s figure for Cyprus covers the government-controlled area only.
Work and pay
The latest published figure for each measure.
| Measure | Period | Ireland | EU | Among EU states with a figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment rateages 20 to 64, both sexes | 2025 | 80.2% | no figure published | 9th highest of 27 |
| Statutory minimum wageeuro per month | 2026-S2 | 2,391 | no EU figure loaded | not ranked |
| Statutory minimum wage, adjusted for pricespurchasing power standard per month | 2026-S2 | 1,756 | no EU figure loaded | not ranked |
Prices and housing
The latest published figure for each measure.
| Measure | Period | Ireland | EU | Among EU states with a figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer price inflationall items, annual average change | 2025 | 2.1% | 2.5% | 22nd highest of 27 |
| Housing and utilities pricesannual average change | 2025 | 2.3% | 2.8% | 16th highest of 27 |
| House pricesannual change in the house price index | 2025 | 7.5% | no figure published | joint 11th highest of 26 |
Income and poverty
The latest published figure for each measure.
Who lives here
On 1 January 2024, foreign citizens and stateless people made up 15.3%* of the people living in Ireland, against 9.6%* across the EU. Citizenship, birth and migration in Ireland → Compare the share across countries →
More on Ireland
* Calculated by Humanity Observatory from published figures.