Freedom in Ireland
Where Ireland sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Ireland has a figure for 54 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.970 | 2025 | 2 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.912 | 2025 | 10 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.956 | 2025 | 4 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.974 | 2025 | 15 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.958 | 2025 | 6 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.922 | 2025 | 9 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 3.037 | 2025 | 6 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 2.374 | 2025 | 12 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 1.772 | 2025 | 15 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 61 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 100.0 | 2023 | 8 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 62 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 1.000 | 2025 | 20 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 1.000 | 2025 | 24 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 58.0 | 2025 | 8 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 40.0 | 2025 | 4 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 240.0% | 2025 | 2 of 125 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | 17.9% | 2024 | 42 of 83 |
| Regulatory quality | 83.2 | 2024 | 5 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $131.3K | 2025 | 1 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 12.3% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 2.2% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 4.6% | 2025 | 70 of 163 |
| Income inequality | 29.000 | 2023 | — |
| Extreme poverty | 0.1% | 2023 | 7 of 55 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 97.2% | 2024 | 12 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 32.3 | 2024 | 36 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 112.6 | 2024 | 84 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.887 | 2025 | 6 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.822 | 2025 | 6 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.983 | 2025 | 10 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.957 | 2025 | 9 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.888 | 2025 | 30 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.032 | 2025 | 15 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.954 | 2025 | 6 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.927 | 2025 | 15 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 85.5 | 2024 | 9 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 79.7 | 2024 | 14 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 82.7 | 2024 | 13 of 169 |
| Political stability | 78.0 | 2024 | 26 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.949 | 2023 | 10 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 83.0 | 2024 | 13 of 170 |
| Health spending | 6.6% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 11.3% | 2023 | 25 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 4.0 | 2023 | 17 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 25.3% | 2025 | 85 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 59.8% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.47 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 64.6% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 1.3 | 2024 | 36 of 168 |
| Population | 5.5M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 6.04 | 2024 | 130 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 12.7% | 2021 | 123 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 100.0% | 2024 | 34 of 169 |
What is missing
6 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Ireland in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Ireland, not a zero. Who publishes what