Land use in Ireland
Ireland: Land use was 441,000 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
441,000 hectares
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
136th
of 224 countries
All-time high
654,600 hectares
in 1961
All-time low
394,700 hectares
in 1991
Years of data
63
1961–2023
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 136th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Ireland, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 654,600 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 649,800 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1963 | 618,100 hectares | -4.9% |
| 1964 | 588,600 hectares | -4.8% |
| 1965 | 570,300 hectares | -3.1% |
| 1966 | 516,100 hectares | -9.5% |
| 1967 | 531,100 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 532,500 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 518,300 hectares | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 535,200 hectares | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 537,500 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 511,700 hectares | -4.8% |
| 1973 | 484,200 hectares | -5.4% |
| 1974 | 472,500 hectares | -2.4% |
| 1975 | 459,500 hectares | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 476,000 hectares | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 504,800 hectares | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 509,300 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 520,200 hectares | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 555,500 hectares | +6.8% |
| 1981 | 533,100 hectares | -4.0% |
| 1982 | 519,200 hectares | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 500,500 hectares | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 517,400 hectares | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 507,600 hectares | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 468,900 hectares | -7.6% |
| 1987 | 441,000 hectares | -6.0% |
| 1988 | 424,100 hectares | -3.8% |
| 1989 | 417,400 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 397,600 hectares | -4.7% |
| 1991 | 394,700 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 395,900 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 406,900 hectares | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 403,300 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 399,600 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 406,700 hectares | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 427,800 hectares | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 448,900 hectares | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 470,000 hectares | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 490,100 hectares | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 511,200 hectares | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 520,200 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 533,230 hectares | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 523,650 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 491,690 hectares | -6.1% |
| 2006 | 470,080 hectares | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 468,450 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 488,350 hectares | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 465,590 hectares | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 440,840 hectares | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 460,140 hectares | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 483,610 hectares | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 475,040 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 466,180 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 454,000 hectares | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 462,000 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 462,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 452,000 hectares | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 444,000 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 445,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 437,000 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 447,000 hectares | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 441,000 hectares | -1.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 441,000 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 1.5× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 441,000 hectares is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.39 million hectares, 32% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
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
- 133 North Macedonia 456,000 hectares compare
- 134 Gambia 447,000 hectares compare
- 135 Bosnia and Herzegovina 444,000 hectares compare
- 137 Georgia 431,900 hectares compare
- 138 Switzerland 421,731 hectares compare
- 139 Israel 372,700 hectares compare
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)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.0083 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (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 136th out of 224 countries 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
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