Ireland: Social contributions (% of revenue)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Ireland's social contributions (% of revenue) fell 1.95 percentage points on 2023 (from 17.52% to 15.57%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.82 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.14 percentage points in 1975 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.95 percentage points in 2024. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 28% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Ireland had the 48th highest value of the 68 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 2024 ranking

• United Kingdom — 44th of 68: 17.27%
• Azerbaijan — 45th of 68: 16.07%
• Israel — 46th of 68: 16%
• Malta — 48th of 68: 15.26%
• Ukraine — 49th of 68: 15.1%
• Kyrgyz Republic — 50th of 68: 14.89%

What this measures

Social contributions are actual or imputed contributions payable to social insurance schemes to make provisions for social benefits to be paid. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 53 values

Social contributions (% of revenue) in nearby economies

• Albania — 21.64% (2024)
• Armenia — 0.73% (2015)
• Austria — 34.2% (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 16.07% (2024)
• Belarus — 35.54% (2024)
• Belgium — 35.6% (2024)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 39.82% (2024)
• Bulgaria — 25.75% (2024)
• Croatia — 27.86% (2023)
• Cyprus — 31.75% (2024)
• Czechia

More public sector data for Ireland

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 1.55 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 1.38 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0.22% (2025)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 10.02 billion (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 1.78% (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — 24.8 billion (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) — 4.41% (2024)
• Social contributions (current LCU) — 22.5 billion (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU) — 144.5 billion (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Ireland's social contributions (% of revenue)?

15.57% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1972?

It is up 6.65 percentage points from 8.92% in 1972. The highest value was 19.43% in 2011 and the lowest 8.92% in 1972.

How does Ireland rank?

48th highest of 68 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in social contributions (% of revenue) unusual for Ireland?

In 2024, Ireland's social contributions (% of revenue) fell 1.95 percentage points on 2023 (from 17.52% to 15.57%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.82 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.REV.SOCL.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, 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.