Energy imports and exports in Ireland
Ireland: Energy imports and exports was 85.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Energy imports and exports in Ireland, 1990–2023
Source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of energy use.
Analysis
The most recent figure for energy imports and exports in Ireland is 85.8%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, energy imports and exports in Ireland peaked at 96.5% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 67.4%, in 1994.
Ireland ranks 17th of 142 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Energy imports and exports in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of energy use | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 71.1% | — |
| 1991 | 69.5% | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 68.7% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 70.2% | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 67.4% | -3.9% |
| 1995 | 72.6% | +7.7% |
| 1996 | 74.1% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 80.2% | +8.1% |
| 1998 | 84.4% | +5.3% |
| 1999 | 88.8% | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 89.3% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 94.8% | +6.2% |
| 2002 | 94.4% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 95.1% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 95.7% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 95.0% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 96.4% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 94.2% | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 96.5% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 92.7% | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 92.1% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 95.5% | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 89.7% | -6.1% |
| 2013 | 94.6% | +5.4% |
| 2014 | 91.3% | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 95.2% | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 74.2% | -22.1% |
| 2017 | 71.4% | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 73.3% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 75.4% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 74.2% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 80.6% | +8.7% |
| 2022 | 86.0% | +6.6% |
| 2023 | 85.8% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 74.7% | 67.4% | 88.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 94.4% | 89.3% | 96.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.3% | 71.4% | 95.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.6% | 74.2% | 86.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 14 Belgium 89.2% compare
- 15 Japan 87.3% compare
- 16 Netherlands 87.0% compare
- 18 Republic of Korea 84.6% compare
- 19 Republic of Moldova 81.2% compare
- 20 Georgia 79.9% compare
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 energy imports and exports in Ireland?
- Energy imports and exports in Ireland was 85.8% in 2023, according to IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest energy imports and exports recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 96.5% in 2008.
- What is the lowest energy imports and exports recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.4% in 1994.
- How does Ireland rank for energy imports and exports?
- Ireland ranks 17th out of 142 countries with data for 2023.
- Is energy imports and exports rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Energy imports and exports. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Energy trade, measured as the percentage of energy use. Positive values indicate a country or region is a net importer of energy. Negative numbers indicate a country or region is a net exporter.