Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Ireland
Ireland: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line was 8.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line 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. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Ireland is 8.6%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 40.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Ireland peaked at 20.5% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 7.7%, in 2021.
Ireland ranks 115th of 123 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 20.5% | — |
| 1994 | 16.5% | -19.5% |
| 1995 | 16.8% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 15.7% | -6.5% |
| 2000 | 13.3% | -15.3% |
| 2002 | 12.8% | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 13.6% | +6.2% |
| 2004 | 13.9% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 12.8% | -7.9% |
| 2006 | 11.3% | -11.7% |
| 2007 | 10.1% | -10.6% |
| 2008 | 11.6% | +14.9% |
| 2009 | 12.7% | +9.5% |
| 2010 | 12.8% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 13.4% | +4.7% |
| 2012 | 13.8% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 14.4% | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 12.2% | -15.3% |
| 2015 | 11.8% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 11.0% | -6.8% |
| 2017 | 9.8% | -10.9% |
| 2018 | 8.5% | -13.3% |
| 2019 | 8.7% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 8.2% | -5.7% |
| 2021 | 7.7% | -6.1% |
| 2022 | 8.5% | +10.4% |
| 2023 | 8.6% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.5% | 20.5% | 20.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 16.3% | 15.7% | 16.8% | 3 |
| 2000s | 12.5% | 10.1% | 13.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 11.6% | 8.5% | 14.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.2% | 7.7% | 8.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
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 poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Ireland?
- Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Ireland was 8.6% 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 poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 20.5% in 1987.
- What is the lowest poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.7% in 2021.
- How does Ireland rank for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line?
- Ireland ranks 115th out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
- Is poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.3%. 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 Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2021 U.S. dollars and defined as max($3.00, $1.30 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $3.00. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.