Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Ireland
Ireland: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 2.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Ireland, 1980–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 2.4% for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022.
The figure is down 6.4% on the previous year and down 67.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Ireland peaked at 15.2% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 2018.
Ireland ranks 168th of 180 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 12.1% | — |
| 1981 | 12.4% | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 12.6% | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 12.9% | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 13.1% | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 13.3% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 13.5% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 13.8% | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 14.0% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 14.2% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 14.4% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 14.6% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 14.8% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 15.0% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 15.2% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 15.1% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 14.9% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 14.8% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 14.6% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 14.4% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 14.2% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 14.1% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 13.8% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 12.8% | -7.6% |
| 2004 | 11.8% | -7.7% |
| 2005 | 14.1% | +19.5% |
| 2006 | 11.4% | -19.0% |
| 2007 | 13.8% | +20.6% |
| 2008 | 10.9% | -20.8% |
| 2009 | 11.7% | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 9.0% | -23.5% |
| 2011 | 8.1% | -9.1% |
| 2012 | 7.4% | -9.6% |
| 2013 | 6.4% | -13.2% |
| 2014 | 5.5% | -13.8% |
| 2015 | 4.9% | -10.5% |
| 2016 | 4.2% | -14.7% |
| 2017 | 3.1% | -26.9% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | -26.7% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 2.5% | +9.9% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 2.4% | -6.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.2% | 12.1% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.8% | 14.4% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.9% | 10.9% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.3% | 2.3% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 165 Puerto Rico 3.5% compare
- 166 Netherlands 3.2% compare
- 167 Czechia 3.0% compare
- 169 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1.3% compare
- 170 Luxembourg 1.0% compare
- 171 Belgium 0.9% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Ireland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 22.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0106 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,391 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.9559 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3541 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Ireland?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Ireland was 2.4% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 15.2% in 1994.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 2018.
- How does Ireland rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Ireland ranks 168th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 67.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Agricultural water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry and domestic purposes). Agricultural water is defined as the annual quantity of self-supplied water withdrawn for irrigation, livestock and aquaculture purposes.