Number of people using the Internet in Ireland

Ireland: Number of people using the Internet was 4.70 million users in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
4.70 million users
Change on year
up 2.6%
Rank
96th
of 207 regions
All-time high
4.70 million users
in 2021
All-time low
0 users
in 1990
Years of data
32
1990–2021

Number of people using the Internet in Ireland, 1990–2021

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M1990200520211990: 0 users1991: 2.0k users1992: 6.0k users1993: 10.0k users1994: 20.0k users1995: 40.1k users1996: 80.0k users1997: 150.2k users1998: 300.6k users1999: 409.1k users2000: 678.8k users2001: 893.8k users2002: 1.0M users2003: 1.4M users2004: 1.5M users2005: 1.7M users2006: 2.3M users2007: 2.7M users2008: 2.9M users2009: 3.1M users2010: 3.2M users2011: 3.4M users2012: 3.5M users2013: 3.6M users2014: 3.9M users2015: 3.9M users2016: 4.0M users2017: 4.0M users2018: 4.2M users2019: 4.3M users2020: 4.6M users2021: 4.7M users

Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in. Measured in users.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 4.70 million users for number of people using the internet in 2021. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 37.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people using the internet in Ireland peaked at 4.70 million users in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0 users, in 1990.

Ireland ranks 96th of 207 regions 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 101,813 users 0 users 409,070 users 10
2000s 1.82 million users 678,780 users 3.05 million users 10
2010s 3.81 million users 3.18 million users 4.29 million users 10
2020s 4.64 million users 4.58 million users 4.70 million users 2

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 93 Haiti 4.93 million users compare
  2. 94 Slovakia 4.84 million users compare
  3. 95 Lebanon 4.73 million users compare
  4. 97 New Zealand 4.70 million users compare
  5. 98 Laos 4.62 million users compare
  6. 99 Uganda 4.59 million users compare

See the full ranking of 207 places →

More science & technology data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people using the internet in Ireland?
Number of people using the internet in Ireland was 4.70 million users in 2021, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in.
What is the highest number of people using the internet recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 4.70 million users in 2021.
What is the lowest number of people using the internet recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0 users in 1990.
How does Ireland rank for number of people using the internet?
Ireland ranks 96th out of 207 regions with data for 2021.
Is number of people using the internet rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 37.1%. 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); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in, published as part of Number of people using the Internet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Number of people using the Internet
Unit
users
Source
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
207 places, 5,658 data points, 1990–2021
Last refreshed

The number of individuals using the Internet.