Share of primary energy from coal in Ireland
Ireland: Share of primary energy from coal was 2.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of primary energy from coal in Ireland, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 2.1% for share of primary energy from coal in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 61 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 30.1% on the previous year and down 86.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary energy from coal in Ireland peaked at 57.1% in 1968 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 2025.
That places Ireland 50th out of 79 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of primary energy from coal in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 55.2% | — |
| 1966 | 55.9% | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 54.7% | -2.0% |
| 1968 | 57.1% | +4.3% |
| 1969 | 54.0% | -5.5% |
| 1970 | 33.7% | -37.6% |
| 1971 | 30.7% | -9.0% |
| 1972 | 27.2% | -11.4% |
| 1973 | 25.2% | -7.4% |
| 1974 | 26.7% | +6.3% |
| 1975 | 24.1% | -9.9% |
| 1976 | 24.3% | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 23.9% | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 21.7% | -9.2% |
| 1979 | 22.6% | +4.1% |
| 1980 | 22.2% | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 23.8% | +7.4% |
| 1982 | 25.3% | +6.4% |
| 1983 | 27.9% | +10.1% |
| 1984 | 27.0% | -3.3% |
| 1985 | 29.6% | +9.7% |
| 1986 | 30.1% | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 38.1% | +26.5% |
| 1988 | 39.1% | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 37.9% | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 34.7% | -8.6% |
| 1991 | 32.4% | -6.4% |
| 1992 | 31.1% | -4.2% |
| 1993 | 29.3% | -5.7% |
| 1994 | 26.9% | -8.3% |
| 1995 | 26.4% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 25.3% | -4.2% |
| 1997 | 22.9% | -9.7% |
| 1998 | 21.6% | -5.6% |
| 1999 | 17.6% | -18.5% |
| 2000 | 17.6% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 17.7% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 17.2% | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 16.9% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 15.5% | -8.4% |
| 2005 | 16.3% | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 14.5% | -10.8% |
| 2007 | 14.2% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 13.8% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 13.5% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 13.1% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 14.1% | +7.1% |
| 2012 | 16.5% | +17.6% |
| 2013 | 15.2% | -7.8% |
| 2014 | 15.1% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 15.8% | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 14.4% | -8.8% |
| 2017 | 12.4% | -14.2% |
| 2018 | 9.6% | -22.4% |
| 2019 | 6.9% | -27.7% |
| 2020 | 6.5% | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 8.5% | +30.9% |
| 2022 | 6.6% | -21.6% |
| 2023 | 4.1% | -37.4% |
| 2024 | 3.0% | -28.1% |
| 2025 | 2.1% | -30.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 2.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.9%, 71% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 2.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.4%, 61% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 55.4% | 54.0% | 57.1% | 5 |
| 1970s | 26.0% | 21.7% | 33.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 30.1% | 22.2% | 39.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.8% | 17.6% | 34.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.7% | 13.5% | 17.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.3% | 6.9% | 16.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.1% | 2.1% | 8.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More energy & mining data for Ireland
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -1.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 6.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary energy from coal in Ireland?
- Share of primary energy from coal in Ireland was 2.1% in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary energy from coal recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 57.1% in 1968.
- What is the lowest share of primary energy from coal recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 2025.
- How does Ireland rank for share of primary energy from coal?
- Ireland ranks 50th out of 79 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of primary energy from coal rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 86.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary energy from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total energy supply.