Share of the population using the Internet in Ireland
Ireland: Share of the population using the Internet was 97.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population using the Internet in Ireland, 1990–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2024, share of the population using the internet in Ireland stood at 97.2%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population using the internet in Ireland peaked at 97.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1990.
Ireland ranks 18th of 208 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population using the Internet in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1991 | 0.1% | — |
| 1992 | 0.2% | +199.3% |
| 1993 | 0.3% | +65.3% |
| 1994 | 0.6% | +98.6% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | +98.9% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | +98.2% |
| 1997 | 4.1% | +85.9% |
| 1998 | 8.1% | +98.0% |
| 1999 | 10.9% | +34.6% |
| 2000 | 17.9% | +63.8% |
| 2001 | 23.1% | +29.6% |
| 2002 | 25.9% | +11.7% |
| 2003 | 34.3% | +32.7% |
| 2004 | 37.0% | +7.8% |
| 2005 | 41.6% | +12.5% |
| 2006 | 54.8% | +31.7% |
| 2007 | 61.2% | +11.6% |
| 2008 | 65.3% | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 67.4% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 69.8% | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 74.9% | +7.2% |
| 2012 | 76.9% | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 78.2% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 83.5% | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 83.5% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 83.5% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 84.1% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 87.0% | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 87.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 92.0% | +5.7% |
| 2021 | 93.5% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 95.0% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 96.9% | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 97.2% | +0.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 97.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 93.1%, 1.0× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 97.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 91.9%, 1.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population 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 | +199.3% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 1994 | +98.6% | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| 1995 | +98.9% | 0.6% | 1.1% |
| 1996 | +98.2% | 1.1% | 2.2% |
| 1998 | +98.0% | 4.1% | 8.1% |
| 1997 | +85.9% | 2.2% | 4.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.7% | 0.0% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.8% | 17.9% | 67.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.9% | 69.8% | 87.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.9% | 92.0% | 97.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 15 Faroe Islands 97.6% compare
- 16 San Marino 97.4% compare
- 17 Switzerland 97.3% compare
- 19 Aruba 97.2% compare
- 20 Netherlands 97.0% compare
- 21 Brunei 96.3% compare
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 share of the population using the internet in Ireland?
- Share of the population using the internet in Ireland was 97.2% in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population using the internet recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 97.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of the population using the internet recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1990.
- How does Ireland rank for share of the population using the internet?
- Ireland ranks 18th out of 208 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population using the internet rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.4%. 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) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population 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
Share of the population who used the Internet in the last three months.