Fossil fuel consumption by fuel in Ireland
Ireland: Fossil fuel consumption by fuel was 48.68 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Fossil fuel consumption by fuel in Ireland, 1979–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, fossil fuel consumption by fuel in Ireland stood at 48.68 terawatt-hours.
The figure is down 2.1% on the previous year and up 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fossil fuel consumption by fuel in Ireland peaked at 54.67 terawatt-hours in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2.76 terawatt-hours, in 1979.
That places Ireland 62nd out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Fossil fuel consumption by fuel in Ireland, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 2.76 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1980 | 8.07 terawatt-hours | +192.0% |
| 1981 | 12.13 terawatt-hours | +50.4% |
| 1982 | 17.8 terawatt-hours | +46.7% |
| 1983 | 19.25 terawatt-hours | +8.2% |
| 1984 | 20.4 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 1985 | 21 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 14.81 terawatt-hours | -29.5% |
| 1987 | 14.76 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 17.7 terawatt-hours | +20.0% |
| 1989 | 20.07 terawatt-hours | +13.4% |
| 1990 | 21.83 terawatt-hours | +8.8% |
| 1991 | 22.36 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 22.12 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 25.13 terawatt-hours | +13.6% |
| 1994 | 25.56 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 27.2 terawatt-hours | +6.4% |
| 1996 | 30.9 terawatt-hours | +13.6% |
| 1997 | 32.3 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 32.66 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 34.92 terawatt-hours | +6.9% |
| 2000 | 40.04 terawatt-hours | +14.7% |
| 2001 | 41.76 terawatt-hours | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 42.87 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 42.55 terawatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 42.48 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 40.44 terawatt-hours | -4.8% |
| 2006 | 45.9 terawatt-hours | +13.5% |
| 2007 | 49.83 terawatt-hours | +8.6% |
| 2008 | 52.21 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 49.56 terawatt-hours | -5.1% |
| 2010 | 54.67 terawatt-hours | +10.3% |
| 2011 | 48.09 terawatt-hours | -12.0% |
| 2012 | 46.9 terawatt-hours | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 44.67 terawatt-hours | -4.8% |
| 2014 | 43.28 terawatt-hours | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 43.76 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 49.21 terawatt-hours | +12.4% |
| 2017 | 50.19 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 52.11 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 53.16 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 53.08 terawatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 50.98 terawatt-hours | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 52 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 48.26 terawatt-hours | -7.2% |
| 2024 | 49.7 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 2025 | 48.68 terawatt-hours | -2.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 48.68 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 27.08 terawatt-hours, 1.8× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 48.68 terawatt-hours is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 34.01 terawatt-hours, 1.4× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fossil fuel consumption by fuel 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +192.0% | 2.76 terawatt-hours | 8.07 terawatt-hours |
| 1981 | +50.4% | 8.07 terawatt-hours | 12.13 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.76 terawatt-hours | 2.76 terawatt-hours | 2.76 terawatt-hours | 1 |
| 1980s | 16.6 terawatt-hours | 8.07 terawatt-hours | 21 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.5 terawatt-hours | 21.83 terawatt-hours | 34.92 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.77 terawatt-hours | 40.04 terawatt-hours | 52.21 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.6 terawatt-hours | 43.28 terawatt-hours | 54.67 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.45 terawatt-hours | 48.26 terawatt-hours | 53.08 terawatt-hours | 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 fossil fuel consumption by fuel in Ireland?
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel in Ireland was 48.68 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fossil fuel consumption by fuel recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 54.67 terawatt-hours in 2010.
- What is the lowest fossil fuel consumption by fuel recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.76 terawatt-hours in 1979.
- How does Ireland rank for fossil fuel consumption by fuel?
- Ireland ranks 62nd out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is fossil fuel consumption by fuel rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fossil fuel consumption by fuel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.