Number of people using the Internet in Ireland
Ireland: Number of people using the Internet was 5.24 million people in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Number of people using the Internet in Ireland, 1990–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi. Measured in people.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 5.24 million people for number of people using the internet in 2024. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 34.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people using the internet in Ireland peaked at 5.24 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1990.
Ireland ranks 98th of 208 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of people using the Internet in Ireland, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0 people | — |
| 1991 | 2,007 people | — |
| 1992 | 6,049 people | +201.3% |
| 1993 | 10,049 people | +66.1% |
| 1994 | 20,034 people | +99.4% |
| 1995 | 40,058 people | +99.9% |
| 1996 | 80,025 people | +99.8% |
| 1997 | 150,274 people | +87.8% |
| 1998 | 300,728 people | +100.1% |
| 1999 | 409,272 people | +36.1% |
| 2000 | 679,241 people | +66.0% |
| 2001 | 894,603 people | +31.7% |
| 2002 | 1.02 million people | +13.6% |
| 2003 | 1.37 million people | +34.9% |
| 2004 | 1.51 million people | +9.8% |
| 2005 | 1.73 million people | +15.0% |
| 2006 | 2.34 million people | +35.3% |
| 2007 | 2.69 million people | +14.8% |
| 2008 | 2.93 million people | +9.0% |
| 2009 | 3.06 million people | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 3.19 million people | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 3.43 million people | +7.7% |
| 2012 | 3.54 million people | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 3.62 million people | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 3.89 million people | +7.5% |
| 2015 | 3.93 million people | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 3.98 million people | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 4.06 million people | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 4.26 million people | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 4.33 million people | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 4.64 million people | +7.1% |
| 2021 | 4.78 million people | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 4.95 million people | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 5.15 million people | +3.9% |
| 2024 | 5.24 million people | +1.9% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 5.24 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.26 million people, 1.6× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 5.24 million people is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.52 million people, 95% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of people using the Internet 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +201.3% | 2,007 people | 6,049 people |
| 1998 | +100.1% | 150,274 people | 300,728 people |
| 1994 | +99.4% | 10,049 people | 20,034 people |
| 1995 | +99.9% | 20,034 people | 40,058 people |
| 1996 | +99.8% | 40,058 people | 80,025 people |
| 1997 | +87.8% | 80,025 people | 150,274 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 101,850 people | 0 people | 409,272 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.82 million people | 679,241 people | 3.06 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.82 million people | 3.19 million people | 4.33 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.95 million people | 4.64 million people | 5.24 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More science & technology data for Ireland
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 112.64 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.1 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 5.92 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 83.58 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 1.66 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 2.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 8,720 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0016 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people using the internet in Ireland?
- Number of people using the internet in Ireland was 5.24 million people in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi.
- What is the highest number of people using the internet recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 5.24 million people in 2024.
- What is the lowest number of people using the internet recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1990.
- How does Ireland rank for number of people using the internet?
- Ireland ranks 98th out of 208 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of people using the internet rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi, published as part of Number of people using the Internet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people who used the Internet in the last three months.