Land use in Ireland
Ireland: Land use was 441,000 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Land use in Ireland, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 441,000 hectares for land use in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Ireland peaked at 654,600 hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 394,700 hectares, in 1991.
Ireland ranks 135th of 223 regions on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 575,489 hectares | 516,100 hectares | 654,600 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 501,090 hectares | 459,500 hectares | 537,500 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 488,470 hectares | 417,400 hectares | 555,500 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 415,140 hectares | 394,700 hectares | 470,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 496,254 hectares | 465,590 hectares | 533,230 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 459,981 hectares | 440,840 hectares | 483,610 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 442,500 hectares | 437,000 hectares | 447,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 132 North Macedonia 456,000 hectares compare
- 133 Gambia 447,000 hectares compare
- 134 Bosnia and Herzegovina 444,000 hectares compare
- 136 Georgia 431,900 hectares compare
- 137 Switzerland 421,731 hectares compare
- 138 Israel 372,700 hectares compare
More environment data for Ireland
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 59.68 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 11.06 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 15.58 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0879 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 1.23 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0115 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 18.11 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0209 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0087 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.16 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Ireland?
- Land use in Ireland was 441,000 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 654,600 hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 394,700 hectares in 1991.
- How does Ireland rank for land use?
- Ireland ranks 135th out of 223 regions with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.2%. 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).