Municipal water withdrawal in Ireland
Ireland: Municipal water withdrawal was 1.25 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Municipal 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, municipal water withdrawal in Ireland stood at 1.25 billion cubic meters. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
The figure is up 10.7% on the previous year and up 94.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water withdrawal in Ireland peaked at 1.25 billion cubic meters in 2023 and was at its lowest, 413.00 million cubic meters, in 1980.
That places Ireland 47th out of 183 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Municipal water withdrawal in Ireland, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 413.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 417.07 million cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 421.14 million cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 425.21 million cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 429.29 million cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 433.36 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 437.43 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 441.50 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 445.57 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 449.64 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 453.71 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 457.79 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 461.86 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 465.93 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 470.00 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 483.75 million cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 497.50 million cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 511.25 million cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 525.00 million cubic meters | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 538.75 million cubic meters | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 552.50 million cubic meters | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 566.25 million cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 580.00 million cubic meters | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 653.00 million cubic meters | +12.6% |
| 2004 | 726.00 million cubic meters | +11.2% |
| 2005 | 799.00 million cubic meters | +10.1% |
| 2006 | 739.00 million cubic meters | -7.5% |
| 2007 | 679.00 million cubic meters | -8.1% |
| 2008 | 679.50 million cubic meters | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 680.00 million cubic meters | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 662.67 million cubic meters | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 645.33 million cubic meters | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 628.00 million cubic meters | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 644.00 million cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 660.00 million cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 627.00 million cubic meters | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 631.00 million cubic meters | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 806.45 million cubic meters | +27.8% |
| 2018 | 981.90 million cubic meters | +21.8% |
| 2019 | 985.00 million cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 987.00 million cubic meters | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 1.01 billion cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 1.13 billion cubic meters | +11.9% |
| 2023 | 1.25 billion cubic meters | +10.7% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 1.25 billion cubic meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 699.00 million cubic meters, 1.8× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 1.25 billion cubic meters is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 657.50 million cubic meters, 1.9× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Municipal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +27.8% | 631.00 million cubic meters | 806.45 million cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 431.32 million cubic meters | 413.00 million cubic meters | 449.64 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 486.55 million cubic meters | 453.71 million cubic meters | 538.75 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 665.42 million cubic meters | 552.50 million cubic meters | 799.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 727.13 million cubic meters | 627.00 million cubic meters | 985.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.10 billion cubic meters | 987.00 million cubic meters | 1.25 billion 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)
- 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 municipal water withdrawal in Ireland?
- Municipal water withdrawal in Ireland was 1.25 billion 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 municipal water withdrawal recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.25 billion cubic meters in 2023.
- What is the lowest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 413.00 million cubic meters in 1980.
- How does Ireland rank for municipal water withdrawal?
- Ireland ranks 47th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal water withdrawal rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 94.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Municipal 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 for direct use by the population, usually measured as the total supplied by the public distribution network.