The national debt of Ireland was estimated at approximately 236.50 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Between 1990 and 2024, the national debt rose by around 199.63 billion U.S. dollars, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend. The national debt is expected to drop by about 31.77 billion U.S. dollars between 2024 and 2030, showing a continuous downward movement throughout the period.

Ireland recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 40.90 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Ireland Government Debt to GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In 2024, the ratio of national debt to gross domestic product (GDP) of Ireland was estimated at approximately 41.11 percent. Between 1995 and 2024, the figure dropped by around 37.41 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory. The forecast shows the ratio will steadily decline by about 13.15 percentage points from 2024 to 2030.The general government gross debt consists of all liabilities that require payment or payments of interest and/or principal by the debtor to the creditor at a date or dates in the future. Here it is depicted in relation to the country's GDP, which refers to the total value of goods and services produced during a year.

Key information about Ireland Government Debt: % of GDP

• Ireland Government debt accounted for 42.1 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Sep 2024, compared with the ratio of 42.7 % in the previous quarter.
• Ireland government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2000 to Sep 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 123.1 % in Mar 2013 and a record low of 24.6 % in Jun 2007.

CEIC calculates quarterly Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly Government Debt and rolling sum of quarterly Nominal GDP. Central Statistics Office provides Government Debt in EUR and Nominal GDP in EUR, based on ESA 2010. Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP prior to Q1 2009 is based on ESA 1995.


Related information about Ireland Government Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, Ireland National Government Debt reached 242.3 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 132.9 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Government Debt in Ireland decreased to 208569 EUR Million in the first quarter of 2025 from 217713 EUR Million in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - Ireland Government Debt- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Key information about Ireland National Government Debt

• Ireland National Government Debt reached 242.3 USD bn in Sep 2024, compared with 232.1 USD bn in the previous quarter.
• Ireland National Government Debt data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2000 to Sep 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 296.6 USD bn in Dec 2013 and a record low of 32.3 USD bn in Jun 2001.

CEIC converts quarterly Government Debt into USD. Central Statistics Office provides Government Debt in EUR based on ESA 2010. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Government Debt prior to Q1 2009 is based on ESA 1995.


Related information about Ireland National Government Debt

• In the latest reports, Ireland Consolidated Fiscal Balance registered a surplus equal to 5.0 % of its Nominal GDP in Sep 2024.
• The country's Government debt accounted for 42.2 % of its Nominal GDP in Sep 2024.
• Ireland Nominal GDP reached 132.9 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Ireland: Government debt as percent of GDP: The latest value from 2023 is 43.7 percent, a decline from 44.4 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 61.85 percent, based on data from 137 countries. Historically, the average for Ireland from 1995 to 2023 is 59.46 percent. The minimum value, 23.6 percent, was reached in 2006 while the maximum of 120.1 percent was recorded in 2013.

Central government debt, total (% of GDP) in Ireland was reported at 45.4 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ireland - Central government debt, total (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

This statistic shows the percentage change on the previous year for general government consolidated gross debt as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) in Ireland from 2013 to 2017. The largest change in this period occurred in 2014 when there was an decrease of -6.2 percent.

Graph and download economic data for General government gross debt for Ireland (GGGDTAIRL188N) from 1995 to 2023 about Ireland, gross, debt, and government.

In September 2024, the national debt of the United States had risen up to 35.46 trillion U.S. dollars. The national debt per capita had risen to 85,552 U.S. dollars in 2021. As represented by the statistic above, the public debt of the United States has been continuously rising. U.S. public debt Public debt, also known as national and governmental debt, is the debt owed by a nations’ central government. In the case of the U.S., national debt is owed by the federal government to Treasury security holders. Generally speaking, government debt increases with government spending, and can be decreased through taxes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government increased spending significantly to finance virus infrastructure, aid, and various forms of economic relief. International public debt Venezuela leads the global ranking of the 20 countries with the highest public debt in 2021. In relation to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Venezuela's public debt amounted to around 306.95 percent of GDP. Eritrea was ranked fifth, with an estimated debt of 170 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. The national debt of the United Kingdom is forecasted to grow from 87 percent in 2022 to 70 percent in 2027, in relation to the Gross Domestic Product. These figures include England, Wales, Scotland as well as Northern Ireland. Greece had the highest national debt among EU countries as of the 4th quarter of 2020 in relation to the Gross Domestic Product. Germany ranked 13th in the EU, with its national debt amounting to 69 percent of GDP in the same time period. Tuvalu was one of the 20 countries with the lowest national debt in 2021 in relation to the GDP, while Macao had an estimated level of national debt of zero percent, the lowest of any country. The data refer to the debts of the entire state, including the central government, the provinces, municipalities, local authorities and social insurance.

Historical dataset showing Ireland national debt by year from 1998 to 2022.

This dataset provides values for GOVERNMENT DEBT TO GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

This statistic shows the national debt in the member states of the European Union in the second quarter of 2024. The data refer to the entire state and are comprised of the debts of central government, provinces, municipalities, local authorities and social security. In the second quarter of 2024, Greece's national debt amounted to about 369.4 billion euros. National debt in the EU member states National or government debt is the debt owed by a central government. No country in the European Union is debt-free, although some are able to manage their debts better than others. Debt is influenced by the economic situation of a country, factors such as unemployment, the rate of inflation or the trade figures have a significant impact on its extent, and are, in turn, influenced by the national debt. The economic crisis has hit some EU countries harder than others; Spain, Ireland and Greece especially have been struggling economically since 2008. Greece’s national debt has skyrocketed over the past few years, and the same can be said about Spain and Ireland. Other EU countries, like France and the United Kingdom have been affected as well, albeit not as severely. The national debt of a country can be reduced by applying several measures: money can be borrowed (for example in the form of rescue packages), austerity programs can be enforced, taxes can be increased or central banks can inject liquidity into the economy through the implementation of quantitative easing policies. Some critics of the policy claim that this could lead to a higher level of inflation, which, if severe enough, could have a detrimental impact on living standards.

Ireland IE: Central Government Debt: Total: % of GDP data was reported at 83.634 % in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 88.791 % for 2015. Ireland IE: Central Government Debt: Total: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 49.226 % from Dec 1998 (Median) to 2016, with 19 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 131.114 % in 2013 and a record low of 26.973 % in 2007. Ireland IE: Central Government Debt: Total: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.World Bank.WDI: Government Revenue, Expenditure and Finance. Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year.; ; International Monetary Fund, Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, and World Bank and OECD GDP estimates.; Weighted average;

This scatter chart displays GDP (current US$) against central government debt (% of GDP) in Ireland. The data is about countries per year.

During the Great Recession of 2008-2009, the advanced economies of the G7 experienced a period of acute financial crises, downturns in the non-financial economy, and political instability. The governments of these countries in many cases stepped in to backstop their financial sectors and to try to stimulate their economies. The scale of these interventions was large by historical standards, with observers making comparisons to the measures of the New Deal which the U.S. undertook in the 1930s to end the Great Depression.

The bailouts of financial institutions and stimulus packages caused the government debt ratios of the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan in particular to rise sharply. The UK's government debt ratio almost doubled due to the bailouts of Northern Rock and Royal Bank of Scotland. On the other hand, the increases in government debt in the Eurozone were more measured, due to the comparative absence of stimulus spending in these countries. They would later be hit hard during the Eurozone crisis of the 2010s, when bank lending to the periphery of the Eurozone (Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Greece in particular) would trigger a sovereign debt crisis. The Canadian government, led by a Conservative premier, engaged in some fiscal stimulus to support its economy, but these packages were small in comparison to that in most other of the G7 countries.

Central government debt, total (current LCU) in Ireland was reported at 236505993000 LCU in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ireland - Central government debt, total (current LCU) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for General government gross debt for Portugal (GGGDTAPRT188N) from 1990 to 2023 about Portugal, Ireland, debt, gross, and government.

This scatter chart displays male population (people) against central government debt (% of GDP) in Ireland. The data is about countries per year.