Current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Ireland
Ireland: Current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public was 100.0% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Ireland, 1998–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Ireland stood at 100.0%. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 7.7% on the previous year and up 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Ireland peaked at 100.0% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 87.4%, in 2001.
That places Ireland 1st out of 125 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 93.1% | — |
| 1999 | 91.0% | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 88.9% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 87.4% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 89.4% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 92.7% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 93.2% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 91.6% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 92.0% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 90.4% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 90.8% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 91.5% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 91.3% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 93.3% | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 94.9% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 94.2% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 93.8% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 93.1% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 92.6% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 94.7% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 94.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 93.8% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 92.9% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 100.0% | +7.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 92.1% | 91.0% | 93.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 90.8% | 87.4% | 93.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 93.7% | 91.3% | 94.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 96.4% | 92.9% | 100.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 1 Aruba 100.0% compare
- 1 Kazakhstan 100.0% compare
- 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 100.0% compare
- 1 British Virgin Islands 100.0% compare
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 current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Ireland?
- Current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Ireland was 100.0% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2021.
- What is the lowest current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 87.4% in 2001.
- How does Ireland rank for current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public?
- Ireland ranks 1st out of 125 countries with data for 2021.
- Is current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public institutions (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release