Industrial water withdrawal in Ireland
Ireland: Industrial water withdrawal was 653.90 million cubic meters in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
653.90 million cubic meters
Change on year
up 10.7%
World rank
62nd
of 180 countries
All-time high
653.90 million cubic meters
in 2023
All-time low
51.00 million cubic meters
in 2007
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in Ireland, 1980–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
In 2023, industrial water withdrawal in Ireland stood at 653.90 million cubic meters. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.7% on the previous year and up 116.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in Ireland peaked at 653.90 million cubic meters in 2023 and was at its lowest, 51.00 million cubic meters, in 2007.
Ireland ranks 62nd of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in Ireland, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 527.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 527.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 490.38 million cubic meters | -6.9% |
| 1996 | 453.77 million cubic meters | -7.5% |
| 1997 | 417.15 million cubic meters | -8.1% |
| 1998 | 380.54 million cubic meters | -8.8% |
| 1999 | 343.92 million cubic meters | -9.6% |
| 2000 | 307.31 million cubic meters | -10.6% |
| 2001 | 270.69 million cubic meters | -11.9% |
| 2002 | 234.08 million cubic meters | -13.5% |
| 2003 | 197.46 million cubic meters | -15.6% |
| 2004 | 160.85 million cubic meters | -18.5% |
| 2005 | 124.23 million cubic meters | -22.8% |
| 2006 | 87.62 million cubic meters | -29.5% |
| 2007 | 51.00 million cubic meters | -41.8% |
| 2008 | 92.89 million cubic meters | +82.1% |
| 2009 | 134.78 million cubic meters | +45.1% |
| 2010 | 176.67 million cubic meters | +31.1% |
| 2011 | 218.56 million cubic meters | +23.7% |
| 2012 | 260.45 million cubic meters | +19.2% |
| 2013 | 302.35 million cubic meters | +16.1% |
| 2014 | 344.24 million cubic meters | +13.9% |
| 2015 | 386.13 million cubic meters | +12.2% |
| 2016 | 428.02 million cubic meters | +10.8% |
| 2017 | 469.91 million cubic meters | +9.8% |
| 2018 | 511.80 million cubic meters | +8.9% |
| 2019 | 515.40 million cubic meters | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 518.00 million cubic meters | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 528.00 million cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 590.95 million cubic meters | +11.9% |
| 2023 | 653.90 million cubic meters | +10.7% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 653.90 million cubic meters is below the median for high income countries, which is 668.45 million cubic meters, 98% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 653.90 million cubic meters is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 806.76 million cubic meters, 81% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Industrial water withdrawal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +82.1% | 51.00 million cubic meters | 92.89 million cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 527.00 million cubic meters | 527.00 million cubic meters | 527.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 472.08 million cubic meters | 343.92 million cubic meters | 527.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 166.09 million cubic meters | 51.00 million cubic meters | 307.31 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 361.35 million cubic meters | 176.67 million cubic meters | 515.40 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 572.71 million cubic meters | 518.00 million cubic meters | 653.90 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.49 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0.9662 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is industrial water withdrawal in Ireland?
- Industrial water withdrawal in Ireland was 653.90 million cubic meters in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 653.90 million cubic meters in 2023.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.00 million cubic meters in 2007.
- How does Ireland rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- Ireland ranks 62nd out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 116.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Industrial water withdrawal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.