Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Ireland
Ireland: Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public was 7.1% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Ireland, 1998–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 7.1% for capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in 2020.
That represents a change of up 15.6% on the previous year and down 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Ireland peaked at 12.6% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 5.1%, in 2012.
That places Ireland 70th out of 124 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6.9% | — |
| 1999 | 9.0% | +31.4% |
| 2000 | 11.1% | +23.1% |
| 2001 | 12.6% | +13.8% |
| 2002 | 10.6% | -16.0% |
| 2003 | 7.3% | -30.9% |
| 2004 | 6.8% | -7.8% |
| 2005 | 8.4% | +24.8% |
| 2006 | 8.0% | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 9.6% | +19.9% |
| 2008 | 9.2% | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 8.5% | -6.9% |
| 2010 | 8.7% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 6.7% | -23.1% |
| 2012 | 5.1% | -24.5% |
| 2013 | 5.8% | +15.4% |
| 2014 | 6.2% | +7.0% |
| 2015 | 6.9% | +10.5% |
| 2016 | 7.4% | +7.5% |
| 2017 | 5.3% | -28.8% |
| 2018 | 5.2% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 6.2% | +18.5% |
| 2020 | 7.1% | +15.6% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 7.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 7.9%, 90% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 7.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7.6%, 94% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.9% | 6.9% | 9.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 9.2% | 6.8% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.3% | 5.1% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.1% | 7.1% | 7.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 32,531 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,942 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 52,745 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 49,975 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 456,625 (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 548,873 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.49 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1053 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Ireland?
- Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Ireland was 7.1% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 12.6% in 2001.
- What is the lowest capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.1% in 2012.
- How does Ireland rank for capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public?
- Ireland ranks 70th out of 124 countries with data for 2020.
- Is capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public institutions (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release