Drinking water service usage in Ireland

Ireland: Drinking water service usage was 96.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
96.1%
Change on year
up 0.5%
Rank
54th
of 163 regions
All-time high
96.1%
in 2024
All-time low
75.4%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Drinking water service usage in Ireland, 2000–2024

0204060801002000201220242000: 75.4 %2001: 75.5 %2002: 75.6 %2003: 75.7 %2004: 75.8 %2005: 77 %2006: 78.2 %2007: 79.4 %2008: 80.5 %2009: 81.7 %2010: 82.8 %2011: 83.9 %2012: 85 %2013: 86.1 %2014: 87.2 %2015: 88.3 %2016: 89.9 %2017: 91.5 %2018: 93.1 %2019: 93.7 %2020: 94.2 %2021: 94.6 %2022: 95.1 %2023: 95.6 %2024: 96.1 %

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2024, drinking water service usage in Ireland stood at 96.1%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 10.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, drinking water service usage in Ireland peaked at 96.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 75.4%, in 2000.

That places Ireland 54th out of 163 regions with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 77.5% 75.4% 81.7% 10
2010s 88.2% 82.8% 93.7% 10
2020s 95.1% 94.2% 96.1% 5

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 52 Saint Martin (French part) 96.6% compare
  2. 53 Bulgaria 96.2% compare
  3. 55 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 96.0% compare
  4. 56 Reunion 95.7% compare
  5. 57 Qatar 95.3% compare

See the full ranking of 163 places →

More environment data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is drinking water service usage in Ireland?
Drinking water service usage in Ireland was 96.1% in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest drinking water service usage recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 96.1% in 2024.
What is the lowest drinking water service usage recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 75.4% in 2000.
How does Ireland rank for drinking water service usage?
Ireland ranks 54th out of 163 regions with data for 2024.
Is drinking water service usage rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Drinking water service usage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Drinking water service usage
Unit
%
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
163 places, 3,991 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Proportion of people using an improved drinking water source that is located on premises, available when needed and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination.