Environmental Indicators Ireland 2018

• The number of licensed vehicles in Ireland increased by 179%, from an average of 960,000 in 1985-1989 to 2.7 million in 2017.
• Private cars accounted for most of this growth with an increase of over 1.3 million vehicles between 1985-1989 and 2017.
• The number of goods vehicles has grown from an average of 111,000 in 1985-1989 to 349,000 in 2017.

_{Note: Data for Denmark refer to 2008; data for Austria refer to 2015; and data for Romania refer to 2015}

• Ireland had 439 passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants in 2016. This was the sixth lowest in the EU. Luxembourg had the highest rate at 662 passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants and Romania the lowest at 261.

• On July 1st 2008, the basis of motor taxation charges in Ireland changed from engine size to the emission rating of the vehicle.
• The proportion of new private cars registered in emissions bands A and B increased from 12% in 2005 to 96% in 2017, while the proportion in emissions bands E, F and G fell from 37% to 1% over this period.

• Road freight transport by Irish registered vehicles at home and abroad peaked in 2005-2009 when there were an annual average of 257 million tonnes carried, 16.6 billion tonne-kilometres and 2.1 billion vehicle kilometres travelled.
• Activity fell significantly in subsequent years, until 2012 in terms of tonnes carried, and 2013 in terms of tonne-kilometres and vehicle-kilometres.
• In 2016 there were 141.7 million tonnes of road freight carried, 11.6 billion tonne-kilometres travelled, and 1.6 billion vehicle-kilometres travelled by Irish registered vehicles at home and abroad.

• Relative to 2006, Ireland had the joint third lowest volume of road freight transport measured by tonne-kilometres travelled and the lowest measured by vehicle-kilometres travelled among EU Member States in 2016. In 2016 tonne-kilometres in Ireland were 67% of the level in 2006 and vehicle-kilometres were 62% of the 2006 level.

• The number of rail passenger journeys in Ireland fell from an annual average of 42 million in 2005-2009 to 36.7 million in 2013 before rising again to 42.8 million in 2016.
• The number of LUAS passenger journeys in Ireland increased from an annual average of 25.8 million in 2005-2009 to 34 million in 2016.
• The number of public bus and coach passenger journeys in Ireland fell from an annual average of 234.1 million in 2005-2009 to 191.1 million in 2013 before rising to 205.6 million in 2016.

_{Note: Data not applicable for Cyprus and Malta; data for Netherlands refer to 2007; data for Belgium refer to 2011; and data for Hungary refer to 2014}

• Rail passengers in Ireland travelled an average of 414 kilometres per capita in 2015. Austria, at 1,411, had the highest level of kilometres per capita travelled in the EU in 2015.

• In 2016, 32.7 million international passengers travelled through Irish airports.
• International passengers travelling to and from sea ports in Ireland reached 3.1 million in 2007. Numbers were lower in subsequent years with 2.7 million passengers in 2016.

• In 2016, Ireland had 7 international air passengers per capita, the third highest level in the EU.  The EU Member State with the highest number of passengers per capita were Cyprus and Malta (two other small islands) with 10.6 and 11.8 international air passengers per capita respectively.

• Between 1986 and 2016, the proportion of females aged 15 years or over driving to work has increased from 27% to 65%. The proportion of females travelling to work as car passengers fell from 16% to 5% in the same period. The proportion of males aged 15 years or over driving to work also increased from 42% to 53% between 1986 and 2016.
• There were 10% of females aged 15 years and over who walked to work in 2016 compared with 8% of males.
• The number of females aged 15 years or over cycling to work declined from 6% in 1986 to 2% in 2016. The proportion of males aged 15 years or over cycling to work also fell from 5% to 4% between 1986 and 2016.