Ireland's net foreign assets (current LCU) was 299.48 billion in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 347.45% from 66.93 billion in 2013 (16.16% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 299.48 billion | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 163.19 billion | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 66.93 billion | 2013 |
| Highest | 299.48 billion | 2023 |
| Lowest | 13.54 billion | 2002 |
| Average since 2014 | 192.73 billion | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 15.6 billion |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Ireland's net foreign assets (current LCU) rose 8.2% on 2022 (from 276.68 billion to 299.48 billion).
Across the 21 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2022), the average change was +21% and a typical year strayed about 39.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 142% in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 57.5% in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 24.16 billion a year. A straight line explains 97% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about 364.99 billion for 2026. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2021 to 2023 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 34.45 billion, against 51.15 billion for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
In 2023, Ireland had the 7th highest value of the 16 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
Closest to Ireland in the 2023 ranking
- Equatorial Guinea — 4th of 16: 922.93 billion
- Luxembourg — 5th of 16: 379.93 billion
- Netherlands — 6th of 16: 350.71 billion
- Congo, Rep. — 8th of 16: 230.97 billion
- Tajikistan — 9th of 16: 34.82 billion
- Malta — 10th of 16: 13.49 billion
What this measures
Net foreign assets are the sum of foreign assets held by monetary authorities and deposit money banks, less their foreign liabilities. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.
All 23 values
| Year | Net foreign assets (current LCU) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 299,483,060,289 |
| 2022 | 276,680,816,504 |
| 2021 | 271,544,602,129 |
| 2020 | 231,423,394,435 |
| 2019 | 208,391,369,449 |
| 2018 | 163,186,772,572 |
| 2017 | 137,913,509,767 |
| 2016 | 121,778,674,090 |
| 2015 | 115,619,242,226 |
| 2014 | 101,252,248,837 |
Net foreign assets (current LCU) in nearby economies
- Albania — 1.12 trillion (2025)
- Armenia — 305.82 billion (2025)
- Austria — 113.77 billion (2024)
- Azerbaijan — 25.43 billion (2025)
- Belarus — 11.41 billion (2021)
- Belgium — 180.33 billion (2024)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 23.03 billion (2025)
- Bulgaria — 46.19 billion (2024)
- Croatia — 21.73 billion (2024)
- Cyprus — 31.88 billion (2024)
- Czechia
More financial sector data for Ireland
- Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 130.04 (2025)
- Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — 2.21% (2025)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 119.16 (2025)
- DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$0.88 (2025)
- Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$0.88 (2025)
- Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 1.02% (2025)
- Real effective exchange rate index (2010 = 100) — 90.46 (2025)
- S&P Global Equity Indices (annual % change) — 31.67% (2025)
- Inflation, GDP deflator, linked series (annual % growth) — 1.02% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Ireland's net foreign assets (current LCU)?
- 299.48 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2001?
- It is up 1,820% from 15.6 billion in 2001 (14.37% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 299.48 billion in 2023 and the lowest 13.54 billion in 2002.
- How does Ireland rank?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FM.AST.NFRG.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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