Pollution, grime or other environmental problems in Ireland
Ireland: Pollution, grime or other environmental problems was 7.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
7.5%
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
38th
of 47 countries
All-time high
9.5%
in 2003
All-time low
4.0%
in 2011
Years of data
19
2003–2023
Pollution, grime or other environmental problems in Ireland, 2003–2023
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
In 2023, pollution, grime or other environmental problems in Ireland stood at 7.5%.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and up 63.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pollution, grime or other environmental problems in Ireland peaked at 9.5% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 4.0%, in 2011.
Ireland ranks 38th of 47 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Pollution, grime or other environmental problems in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 9.5% | — |
| 2004 | 9.3% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 7.6% | -18.3% |
| 2006 | 8.8% | +15.8% |
| 2007 | 9.3% | +5.7% |
| 2008 | 7.7% | -17.2% |
| 2009 | 5.5% | -28.6% |
| 2010 | 5.2% | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 4.0% | -23.1% |
| 2012 | 4.8% | +20.0% |
| 2013 | 4.6% | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 4.5% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 4.7% | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 4.6% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 5.3% | +15.2% |
| 2018 | 6.5% | +22.6% |
| 2019 | 6.6% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 7.6% | +15.2% |
| 2023 | 7.5% | -1.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 7.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.4%, 72% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 7.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.3%, 73% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.2% | 5.5% | 9.5% | 7 |
| 2010s | 5.1% | 4.0% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.5% | 7.5% | 7.6% | 2 |
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)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is pollution, grime or other environmental problems in Ireland?
- Pollution, grime or other environmental problems in Ireland was 7.5% in 2023, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest pollution, grime or other environmental problems recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 9.5% in 2003.
- What is the lowest pollution, grime or other environmental problems recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.0% in 2011.
- How does Ireland rank for pollution, grime or other environmental problems?
- Ireland ranks 38th out of 47 countries with data for 2023.
- Is pollution, grime or other environmental problems rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 63.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Pollution, grime or other environmental problems. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).