Share of electricity production by source in Ireland
Ireland: Share of electricity production by source was 53.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of electricity production by source in Ireland, 1990–2023
Source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total.
Analysis
In 2023, share of electricity production by source in Ireland stood at 53.2%. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of down 10.4% on the previous year and down 30.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity production by source in Ireland peaked at 94.7% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 53.2%, in 2023.
Ireland ranks 122nd of 208 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Share of electricity production by source in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 93.2% | — |
| 1991 | 93.6% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 93.4% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 93.7% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 92.9% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 94.5% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 94.7% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 94.6% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 93.2% | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 93.8% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 93.8% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 94.6% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 93.1% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 94.0% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 93.1% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 91.4% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 89.6% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 88.9% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 86.9% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 84.1% | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 86.1% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 79.8% | -7.3% |
| 2012 | 79.6% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 76.5% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 73.9% | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 70.8% | -4.3% |
| 2016 | 73.9% | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 69.8% | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 65.2% | -6.6% |
| 2019 | 59.8% | -8.2% |
| 2020 | 56.1% | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 61.4% | +9.3% |
| 2022 | 59.4% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 53.2% | -10.4% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 53.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 62.1%, 86% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 53.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 33.7%, 1.6× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 93.8% | 92.9% | 94.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 90.9% | 84.1% | 94.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.5% | 59.8% | 86.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.5% | 53.2% | 61.4% | 4 |
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 electricity production by source in Ireland?
- Share of electricity production by source in Ireland was 53.2% in 2023, according to IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity production by source recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 94.7% in 1996.
- What is the lowest share of electricity production by source recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.2% in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for share of electricity production by source?
- Ireland ranks 122nd out of 208 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of electricity production by source rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Share of electricity production by source. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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