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Environmental Indicators Ireland 2024

Land Use

Fertiliser sales in Ireland decreased by 24% from 1.858 million tonnes in 2022 to 1.412 million tonnes in 2023

Online ISSN: 2009-9533

CSO statistical publication, 29 January 2025, 11am

6.1 Ireland: Land use categories 1990-2022

Grassland accounted for 59.4% of total land use in Ireland in 2022, down from an average of 61.9% in 1990-1994. The area under forest increased from 7.3% in 1990-1994 to 11% in 2022, while wetlands declined from 18.8% to 17.2% over this timeframe.

Table 6.1 Ireland: Land use categories 1990-2022

6.2 EU: Forest cover 2021

Forestry accounted for 11.6% of Ireland’s total land area in 2021, the third lowest among EU Member States after Malta and the Netherlands. Finland had the highest proportion of land area under forest at 66.2% in 2021. The EU27 average was 38.7%.

Country	Total land area
Finland	66.2
Sweden	62.5
Slovenia	58.2
Estonia	53.8
Latvia	52.9
Austria	46.4
Slovakia	39.8
EU27	38.7
Portugal	37.5
Spain	37.3
Bulgaria	35.1
Croatia	34.3
Luxembourg	34.2
Czechia	34
Lithuania	33.7
Germany	32.1
France	32
Italy	31.8
Poland	30.4
Greece	29.6
Romania	29.3
Belgium	22.5
Hungary	22.1
Cyprus	18.6
Denmark	14.6
Ireland	11.6
Netherlands	9.7
Malta	1.5

6.3 Ireland: Organic agricultural land 1997-2023

The area of agricultural land farmed organically in Ireland has increased steadily year by year from 1997, according to data collected by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, under its Basic Income Support for Sustainability scheme.

In 2023, 179,400 hectares of agricultural land was farmed organically, or 3.8% of the total compared with 108,500 hectares (or 2.3% of the total) in 2022.

Table 6.2 Ireland: Organic agricultural land 1997-2023

6.4 EU: Organic agricultural land 2022

According to data collected by Eurostat from Organic Certification Bodies, 1.9% of total Irish agricultural land in 2022 was land fully converted to or under conversion to organic farming. This the second lowest percentage among the 27 EU Member States. Austria, with 25%, had the highest proportion of agricultural land farmed organically in the EU27 in 2022, and Malta the lowest at 0.6%.

Country	Total agricultural land
Austria	24.9
Estonia	24.1
Portugal	20.9
Sweden	19.7
Italy	19.4
Greece	19
Latvia	16.7
Czechia	16.1
Finland	15
Slovakia	13.3
Spain	11.5
Denmark	11.5
Slovenia	11
France	10.2
Germany	9.8
Lithuania	9.5
Croatia	8.2
Belgium	7.9
Cyprus	7.1
Hungary	6.9
Luxembourg	6.3
Romania	4.9
Netherlands	4.3
Poland	3.8
Bulgaria	2.4
Ireland	1.9
Malta	0.6

6.5 Ireland: Fertiliser sales 1981-2023

Total fertiliser sales in Ireland fell by 24% from 1.858 million tonnes in 2022 to 1.412 million tonnes in the in 2023.

Lime is the most commonly used fertiliser in the State. Sales in 2023 at 1.019 million tonnes were 26.5% lower than the 2022 figure of 1.387 million tonnes.

The sales of Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium fertilisers in Ireland decreased in Ireland in 2023. The Nitrogen figure fell by 18.2%; Phosphorous fell by 10.2%; and Potassium fell by 12.5% between 2022 and 2023.

Year	Lime	Nitrogen	Potassium	Phosphorous
1981	1348.5	275.1	150.3	63.1
1982	1591.9	275.2	148	61.5
1983	2213	296	153.2	63.4
1984	1124.1	331.4	161.6	66.2
1985	878.4	327.7	163.8	66
1986	825.8	322.7	144.7	58.1
1987	824.4	371.7	165.5	65.9
1988	885.6	339.4	156	62.4
1989	940.6	349	160.7	64.7
1990	806.9	379.3	158.4	64.6
1991	716.2	370.1	152.6	62.6
1992	580.9	358.3	147.8	59.4
1993	812	378	151.6	61.5
1994	612.8	408.8	145.3	60
1995	1124.1	428.8	150.5	62.4
1996	1100.1	416.9	152.1	61.9
1997	962.5	379.5	132.1	53.8
1998	694.5	432	124.3	49.9
1999	871	442.9	125.7	50.5
2000	832.7	407.6	122.7	49.3
2001	875.6	368.7	106.9	42.7
2002	622.5	363.5	105.6	41.9
2003	879.7	388.1	111.1	43.8
2004	547.3	362.5	110.6	42.7
2005	606.2	352.2	100.7	38.6
2006	579.2	345.2	92.9	37.2
2007	856.3	321.6	84.7	32.4
2008	595.9	309	69.6	26.4
2009	698.5	306.8	52.4	20.2
2010	972.6	337.6	72.6	28.2
2011	819.7	295.8	71.4	28.1
2012	521.4	296.5	81.2	27.4
2013	1172	353	92.8	37
2014	868.9	331.8	93.8	35.6
2015	893.7	331	94.2	36.6
2016	967.3	339.1	95.6	37.1
2017	737.1	369.1	108.7	41.9
2018	1028.7	408.5	120.3	46.4
2019	762.9	367.4	114.3	42.7
2020	887.3	379.5	118	44.3
2021	1333.1	399.2	122.9	46.1
2022	1386.9	343.2	93.6	34.2
2023	1019	280.6	82	30.8

Table 6.3 Ireland: Fertiliser sales 1981-2023

6.6 EU: Fertiliser sales 2022

Ireland had the ninth highest rate of fertiliser sales among the 27 EU Member States in 2022 at 76 tonnes per 1,000 hectares of agricultural land. The Netherlands had the highest rate of sales in 2022 at 108 tonnes per 1,000 hectares of agricultural land and Portugal had the lowest at 19 tonnes.

Country	Sales per 1,000 hectares agricultural land
Portugal	19
Spain	36.5
Austria	38.3
Greece	39.6
Romania	41.8
Estonia	48
Latvia	49.9
Finland	51.2
Lithuania	51.5
Italy	55.2
Malta	57.5
Slovenia	62.2
Croatia	65.3
Sweden	65.7
Luxembourg	65.8
Slovakia	66.1
Germany	68.7
Hungary	76
Ireland	76.1
France	77.8
Bulgaria	80.7
Poland	82.9
Denmark	82.9
Cyprus	92.3
Czechia	97.7
Belgium	98.2
Netherlands	107.7

6.7 Ireland: Cattle, sheep and pigs December 1980-2023

In December 2023, there were 6.5 million cattle in Ireland, which was 0.4% below the 2022 figure. The 2023 figure was, however, 12.2% above the average 1980-1984 figure of 5.8 million.

Sheep numbers have fluctuated more widely. In December 2023 there were 4 million sheep in the State, which was 0.6% below the 2022 total. The 2023 figure was, however, 50% higher than the average 1980-1984 number.

In December 2023 there were 1.4 million pigs in the State, down 10.4% on 2022. However, the 2023 figure was 35% higher than the average 1980-1984 number.

Year	Cattle	Sheep	Pigs
1980	5825.5	2343.6	1030.8
1981	5763.2	2449.3	1027
1982	5795.2	2608.5	1081.1
1983	5830.5	2813.2	1053.4
1984	5860.9	3081.8	1019.5
1985	5813	3304	994.1
1986	5670.3	3671.8	980
1987	5632.7	4300.6	960.3
1988	5698.7	4991.2	1014.5
1989	5969.1	5713.9	1110.1
1990	6100.5	5863.7	1249.1
1991	6147.4	5982.6	1345.5
1992	6236.4	6109.2	1422.7
1993	6263.9	5966.5	1487.2
1994	6343.9	5739.7	1498.3
1995	6450.6	5543.4	1542.3
1996	6660.9	5341.9	1664.5
1997	6881.6	5577.2	1717
1998	6951.7	5559.1	1800.9
1999	6557.9	5318.6	1762.9
2000	6330.2	5056	1731.5
2001	6408.1	4807	1777.8
2002	6332.8	4828.5	1796.9
2003	6223.4	4850.1	1731
2004	6211.5	4556.7	1754.3
2005	6390.2	4257	1670.8
2006	6340.2	3826.3	1620
2007	6247.6	3530.5	1500.5
2008	6303.9	3422.9	1510.7
2009	6231.7	3182.6	1501.9
2010	5917.7	3122	1500.4
2011	5925.3	3321.3	1552.9
2012	6253.2	3430.3	1493.5
2013	6309.1	3324.1	1469.1
2014	6243.1	3324.9	1505.7
2015	6422.2	3324.8	1474.5
2016	6613.4	3438.2	1527.8
2017	6673.6	3981.8	1616.4
2018	6593.5	3798.5	1572.2
2019	6559.7	3809.4	1613.3
2020	6529.4	3877.2	1678.6
2021	6649.3	4026.4	1713.6
2022	6551.8	4018	1570.4
2023	6526	3995	1407.6

Table 6.4 Ireland: Cattle, sheep and pigs December 1980-2023

6.8 EU: Cattle, sheep and pigs December 2023

In December 2023 Ireland had the third highest number of cattle in the EU27, with 8.8% of the total. France had the highest proportion of cattle numbers, with 22.8% of the EU total.

Ireland had 6.8% of the total sheep population in the EU27 in December 2022, compared with Spain which had the highest proportion of sheep numbers at 24.5% of the total.

Ireland had 1.1% of the total pig population in the EU27 in December 2023. Spain had the highest proportion of pig numbers in the EU with 25.4% of the total.

Table 6.5 EU: Cattle, sheep and pigs December 2023

6.9 Ireland: New residential dwelling completions 2011-2023

In 2024, there were 30,330 new residential dwelling completions in Ireland compared with an annual average of 5,500 units between 2011 and 2014. However, the 2024 figure was 6.7% lower than the 2023 figure of 32,525.

The proportion of new residential units in housing schemes has doubled from an average of 24% in the 2011-2014 period to 53% in 2024.

Similarly, the share of apartments in new residential dwelling completions has nearly tripled over this time frame from 11% to 29%.

By contrast, the share of single houses in new residential dwelling completions has fallen from an average of 65% in 2011-2014 to just 18% in 2024.

Table 6.6 Ireland: New residential dwelling completions 2011-2024

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Table 6.1 Ireland: Land use categories 1990-2022
	% of total land area						'000 hectares
Year	Grassland	Wetlands (including peatlands)	Forest	Cropland	Settlement	Other land	Total
1990-1994 average	61.9	18.8	7.3	10.5	1.5	0.1	7,111.8
1995-1999 average	61.3	18.1	8.5	10.5	1.5	0.1	7,111.8
2000-2004 average	60.8	17.6	9.5	10.5	1.6	0.1	7,111.8
2005-2009 average	60.4	17.3	10.0	10.5	1.7	0.1	7,111.8
2010-2014 average	60.0	17.3	10.4	10.5	1.7	0.1	7,111.8

2015	59.7	17.3	10.7	10.5	1.7	0.1	7,111.8
2016	59.7	17.3	10.7	10.5	1.7	0.1	7,111.8
2017	59.6	17.2	10.8	10.5	1.8	0.1	7,111.8
2018	59.5	17.2	10.9	10.5	1.8	0.1	7,111.8
2019	59.5	17.2	10.9	10.5	1.8	0.1	7,111.8
2020	59.5	17.2	10.9	10.5	1.8	0.1	7,111.8
2021	59.4	17.2	10.9	10.5	1.8	0.1	7,111.8
2022	59.4	17.2	11.0	10.5	1.8	0.1	7,111.8
Source: Environmental Protection Agency

Table 6.2 Ireland: Organic agricultural land 1997-2023
	'000 ha		%
Year	Organic agricultural land	Agricultural land area	Land area farmed organically
1997-1999 average	23.5	4,408	0.5
2000-2004 average	29.2	4,401	0.7
2005-2009 average	41.8	4,171	1.0
2010-2014 average	52.8	4,569	1.2

2015	57.6	4,596	1.3
2016	60.5	4,569	1.3
2017	68.5	4,569	1.5
2018	66.7	4,643	1.4
2019	76.1	4,651	1.6
2020	73.2	4,664	1.6
2021	94.2	4,678	2.0
2022	108.5	4,678	2.3
2023	179.4	4,678	3.8
Source: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Table 6.3 Ireland: Fertiliser sales 1981-2023¹
	Nitrogen²		Phosphorous²		Potassium²		Lime		Total
Year	'000 tonnes	Average annual % change	'000 tonnes	Average annual % change	'000 tonnes	Average annual % change	'000 tonnes	Average annual % change	'000 tonnes
1981-1984 average	294.4	..	63.6	..	153.3	..	1,569.4	..	2,080.6
1985-1989 average	342.1	4.0	63.4	-0.1	158.1	0.8	871.0	-11.1	1,434.6
1990-1994 average	378.9	2.2	61.6	-0.6	151.2	-0.9	705.8	-3.8	1,297.5
1995-1999 average	420.0	2.2	55.7	-1.9	137.0	-1.9	950.4	6.9	1,563.1
2000-2004 average	378.1	-2.0	44.1	-4.2	111.4	-3.7	751.6	-4.2	1,285.1
2005-2009 average	326.9	-2.7	31.0	-5.9	80.1	-5.6	667.2	-2.2	1,105.2
2010-2014 average	322.9	-0.2	31.3	0.2	82.4	0.6	870.9	6.1	1,307.5

2015	331.0	-0.2	36.6	2.7	94.2	0.5	893.7	2.9	1,355.5
2016	339.1	2.5	37.1	1.4	95.6	1.4	967.3	8.2	1,439.0
2017	369.1	8.8	41.9	13.0	108.7	13.7	737.1	-23.8	1,256.8
2018	408.5	10.7	46.4	10.7	120.3	10.6	1,028.7	39.6	1,603.9
2019	367.4	-10.1	42.7	-8.0	114.3	-5.0	762.9	-25.8	1,287.2
2020	379.5	3.3	44.3	3.7	118.0	3.3	887.3	16.3	1,429.1
2021	399.2	5.2	46.1	4.1	122.9	4.2	1,333.1	50.2	1,901.3
2022	343.2	-14.0	34.2	-25.7	93.6	-23.8	1,386.9	4.0	1,858.0
2023	280.6	-18.2	30.8	-10.2	82.0	-12.5	1,019.0	-26.5	1,412.3
Source: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
¹Note: The average annual % change in 2015 is based on a comparison with 2014 data and not the average 2010-2014 data
2Note: The Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium data in this table refer to the crop year. The 2023 crop year runs from 1st October 2022 to 30^thSeptember 2023
.. Not applicable

Table 6.4 Ireland: Cattle, sheep and pigs December 1980-2023¹
	Total cattle		Total sheep		Total pigs
Year	'000	Annual % change	'000	Annual % change	'000	Annual % change
1980-1984 average	5,815	..	2,659	..	1,042	..
1985-1989 average	5,757	-0.2	4,396	13.1	1,012	-0.6
1990-1994 average	6,218	1.6	5,932	7.0	1,401	7.7
1995-1999 average	6,701	1.6	5,468	-1.6	1,698	4.2
2000-2004 average	6,301	-1.2	4,820	-2.4	1,758	0.7
2005-2009 average	6,303	0.0	3,644	-4.9	1,561	-2.2
2010-2014 average	6,130	-0.5	3,305	-1.9	1,504	-0.7

2015	6,422	2.9	3,325	0.0	1,475	-2.1
2016	6,613	3.0	3,438	3.4	1,528	3.6
2017	6,674	0.9	3,982	15.8	1,616	5.8
2018	6,594	-1.2	3,799	-4.6	1,572	-2.7
2019	6,560	-0.5	3,809	0.3	1,613	2.6
2020	6,529	-0.5	3,877	1.8	1,679	4.0
2021	6,649	1.8	4,026	3.8	1,714	2.1
2022	6,552	-1.5	4,018	-0.2	1,570	-8.4
2023	6,526	-0.4	3,995	-0.6	1,408	-10.4
Source: CSO
¹Note: The average annual % change in 2015 is based on a comparison with 2014 data and not the average 2010-2014 data
- Not applicable

Environmental Indicators Ireland 2024

Land Use

Land Use

Fertiliser sales in Ireland decreased by 24% from 1.858 million tonnes in 2022 to 1.412 million tonnes in 2023

6.1 Ireland: Land use categories 1990-2022

6.2 EU: Forest cover 2021

6.3 Ireland: Organic agricultural land 1997-2023

6.4 EU: Organic agricultural land 2022

6.5 Ireland: Fertiliser sales 1981-2023

6.6 EU: Fertiliser sales 2022

6.7 Ireland: Cattle, sheep and pigs December 1980-2023

6.8 EU: Cattle, sheep and pigs December 2023

6.9 Ireland: New residential dwelling completions 2011-2023

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Table 6.5 EU: Cattle, sheep and pigs December 2023¹
% of total
Country	Cattle	Sheep	Pigs
Malta	0.0	0.0	0.0
Cyprus	0.1	0.6	0.2
Luxembourg	0.2	0.0	0.0
Estonia	0.3	0.1	0.2
Latvia	0.5	0.1	0.2
Croatia	0.6	1.1	0.6
Slovakia	0.6	0.5	0.3
Slovenia	0.6	0.2	0.1
Bulgaria	0.8	1.9	0.5
Greece	0.8	12.5	0.6
Lithuania	0.8	0.2	0.4
Finland	1.1	0.2	0.7
Hungary	1.2	1.5	2.0
Sweden	1.9	0.6	1.0
Czechia	1.9	0.3	1.0
Denmark	1.9	0.2	8.6
Portugal	2.1	3.8	1.6
Romania	2.5	17.4	2.4
Austria	2.5	0.7	1.9
Belgium	3.0	0.2	4.0
Netherlands	5.1	1.2	7.8
Italy	8.1	11.1	6.9
Poland	8.5	0.5	7.4
Spain	8.5	24.5	25.4
Ireland	8.8	6.8	1.1
Germany	14.7	2.6	16.0
France	22.8	11.2	8.9

EU27	100.0	100.0	100.0

Total`('000)	73,745	59,010	132,862
Source: Eurostat
¹ Note:Sheep data refer to 2022

Table 6.6 Ireland: New residential dwelling completions 2011-2024¹
	% of total completions			Number	%
Year	Scheme house	Single house	Apartment	Total	Annual % change
2011-2014 average	24	65	11	5,500	..

2015	46	45	9	7,219	30.8
2016	52	37	11	9,752	35.1
2017	55	30	15	14,244	46.1
2018	62	26	12	17,814	25.1
2019	60	24	16	21,048	18.2
2020	57	24	19	20,509	-2.6
2021	52	23	25	20,491	-0.1
2022	51	19	31	29,644	44.7
2023	48	17	36	32,525	9.7
2024	53	18	29	30,330	-6.7
Source:CSO
¹Note: The average annual % change in 2015 is based on a comparison with 2014 data and not the average 2011-2014 data
.. Not applicable