Income share held by highest 10% in Ireland
Ireland: Income share held by highest 10% was 24.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Income share held by highest 10% in Ireland, 1987–2023
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
Analysis
The most recent figure for income share held by highest 10% in Ireland is 24.1%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share held by highest 10% in Ireland peaked at 29.1% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 23.8%, in 2020.
That places Ireland 97th out of 123 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Income share held by highest 10% in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 27.3% | — |
| 1994 | 29.1% | +6.6% |
| 1995 | 28.7% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 27.6% | -3.8% |
| 2000 | 26.2% | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 25.0% | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 25.9% | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 26.6% | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 26.9% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 25.6% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 25.5% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 24.6% | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 25.6% | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 24.9% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 25.5% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 25.9% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 26.1% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 24.9% | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 25.4% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 25.9% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 25.1% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 24.6% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 23.8% | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 24.1% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 24.5% | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 24.1% | -1.6% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 24.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 25.0%, 96% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 24.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 24.2%, 100% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 27.3% | 27.3% | 27.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 28.5% | 27.6% | 29.1% | 3 |
| 2000s | 25.8% | 24.6% | 26.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 25.4% | 24.6% | 26.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.1% | 23.8% | 24.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 94 Azerbaijan 24.2% compare
- 94 Nepal 24.2% compare
- 94 Uzbekistan 24.2% compare
- 98 Hungary 23.9% compare
- 99 Estonia 23.7% compare
- 100 Bosnia and Herzegovina 23.6% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Ireland
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.6 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,325 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 3.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 21.9 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 21.9% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share held by highest 10% in Ireland?
- Income share held by highest 10% in Ireland was 24.1% in 2023, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest income share held by highest 10% recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 29.1% in 1994.
- What is the lowest income share held by highest 10% recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.8% in 2020.
- How does Ireland rank for income share held by highest 10%?
- Ireland ranks 97th out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
- Is income share held by highest 10% rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Income share held by highest 10%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles.