The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Ireland
Ireland: The share and number of people living in extreme poverty was 0.1% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Ireland, 1987–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Ireland is 0.1%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 59.0% on the previous year and down 88.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Ireland peaked at 1.3% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2019.
Ireland ranks 104th of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 1.3% | — |
| 1994 | 0.4% | -69.2% |
| 1995 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.2% | -50.0% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | +50.0% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -24.8% |
| 2004 | 0.1% | -62.4% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -26.2% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | +652.9% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | -72.6% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | +55.2% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | +187.8% |
| 2010 | 0.7% | +29.7% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | -10.1% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -20.1% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | +37.7% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -39.9% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -20.5% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | -10.6% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | -67.5% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | -42.9% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | +223.9% |
| 2021 | 0.1% | -28.2% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | +53.2% |
| 2023 | 0.1% | -59.0% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 0.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 21% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 0.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.3%, 24% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +652.9% | 0.1% | 0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 3 |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 101 Netherlands 0.1% compare
- 102 Belgium 0.1% compare
- 103 Luxembourg 0.1% compare
- 105 Iceland 0.1% compare
- 106 France 0.1% compare
- 107 Switzerland 0.1% 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 the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Ireland?
- The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Ireland was 0.1% in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 1987.
- What is the lowest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2019.
- How does Ireland rank for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Ireland ranks 104th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 88.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of The share and number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.