Income share held by lowest 20% in Ireland

Ireland: Income share held by lowest 20% was 9.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
9.2%
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
15th
of 121 countries
All-time high
9.2%
in 2023
All-time low
6.8%
in 1995
Years of data
27
1987–2023

Income share held by lowest 20% in Ireland, 1987–2023

02468101987200520231987: 71994: 6.91995: 6.81996: 7.12000: 7.72002: 7.62003: 7.72004: 7.62005: 7.72006: 7.92007: 8.22008: 8.22009: 7.72010: 7.62011: 7.52012: 7.52013: 7.32014: 7.92015: 82016: 7.92017: 8.42018: 8.72019: 8.82020: 92021: 92022: 8.92023: 9.2

Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.

Analysis

The most recent figure for income share held by lowest 20% in Ireland is 9.2%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.4% on the previous year and up 26.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, income share held by lowest 20% in Ireland peaked at 9.2% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, in 1995.

Ireland ranks 15th of 121 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 7.0% 7.0% 7.0% 1
1990s 6.9% 6.8% 7.1% 3
2000s 7.8% 7.6% 8.2% 9
2010s 8.0% 7.3% 8.8% 10
2020s 9.0% 8.9% 9.2% 4

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 12 Iceland 9.4% compare
  2. 12 Netherlands 9.4% compare
  3. 14 Syria 9.3% compare
  4. 15 Finland 9.2% compare
  5. 17 Belgium 9.1% compare
  6. 17 Denmark 9.1% compare
  7. 17 Norway 9.1% compare
  8. 17 Slovakia 9.1% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More poverty & inequality data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is income share held by lowest 20% in Ireland?
Income share held by lowest 20% in Ireland was 9.2% in 2023, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
What is the highest income share held by lowest 20% recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 9.2% in 2023.
What is the lowest income share held by lowest 20% recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 1995.
How does Ireland rank for income share held by lowest 20%?
Ireland ranks 15th out of 121 countries with data for 2023.
Is income share held by lowest 20% rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 26.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Income share held by lowest 20%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Income share held by lowest 20%
Source
World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,305 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles. Percentage shares by quintile may not sum to 100 because of rounding.