The total number of licensed vehicles in Ireland has increased steadily year by year from 1985 to 2023 (except for small declines in 2009, 2010 and 2012). In 2023, this number reached 3 million, up 2.8% on the 2022 figure (and 213% on the average 1985-1989 annual figure).
Private cars accounted for most of this growth. In 2023, 2.3 million private cars were licenced, an increase of 3% on the 2022 figure (and 216% on the average 1985-1989 annual figure).
The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on public transport usage in Ireland, causing sharp declines in passenger numbers from 2020 to 2021. Although 2022 saw a strong recovery, passenger numbers remain below pre-pandemic levels, as seen in Table 8.2
In 2019, there were 228 million journeys on buses and coaches. This fell by 47% in 2020 and dropped slightly further in 2021. In 2022 journeys rose by 78%, but the total was less than in 2019.
Train journeys dropped dramatically, from 50 million in 2019 to just 18 million in 2020, a fall of 64%. By 2022, train journeys more than doubled compared to 2020, reaching 36 million, but was still below the 2019 figure.
Luas journeys declined from 48 million in 2019 to 19.2 million in 2020 (a 60% drop). By 2022, passenger numbers recovered to 39 million, double the 2020 total, but not yet back to 2019 levels.
The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on rail passenger traffic across the EU, with major declines in 2020 in all countries for which data are available. Passenger numbers recovered for most countries in 2021. By 2023 in approximately half of EU members states passenger figures exceeded the pre- pandemic levels of 2019.
In Ireland there were 8.7 rail passenger journeys per person in 2023. Luxembourg was the EU Member State with the highest level of passenger journeys per capita at 43.4 in 2023, while Greece had the lowest level at 1.2.
| Country | Passenger journeys per capita |
|---|---|
| Luxembourg | 43.4134522986218 |
| Austria | 35.7353264859351 |
| Denmark | 34.1948139905007 |
| Germany | 32.337130741892 |
| Sweden | 23.1374522931779 |
| Portugal | 19.0611604240564 |
| France | 17.9896060575439 |
| Czechia | 16.9917808578485 |
| Finland | 14.8106477928529 |
| Spain | 13.8546323900948 |
| Italy | 13.8047396519709 |
| Slovakia | 13.2053318675683 |
| Latvia | 9.09927095370811 |
| Ireland | 8.73886324208298 |
| Slovenia | 6.84137532286681 |
| Croatia | 6.19362672667697 |
| Estonia | 5.71424806206091 |
| Romania | 3.8981769601672 |
| Bulgaria | 3.38275139545668 |
| Lithuania | 1.65157130262743 |
| Greece | 1.22978895104678 |
The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the volume of international passengers through Irish air and seaports, causing a sharp decline in passenger numbers in 2020.
In 2019 there were 37.9 million international passenger journeys through Irish airports. This fell by 78% in 2020. Passenger numbers increased from 2021 to 2023, and by 2023 (at 39 million) were higher than before the pandemic in 2019.
The number of passengers travelling on international journeys to and from Irish sea ports was 2.5 million in 2019. This figure fell by 73% in 2020 but increased in subsequent years. By 2023 there were 2.3 million international journeys, but this was still below the 2019 figure.
According to Census data, the percentage of females aged 15 years or over driving to work has increased from 27% in 1986 to 66% in 2011, before falling to 58% in 2022. The proportion of females travelling to work as car passengers, on foot, by bicycle and by bus, minibus or coach all fell from 1986 to 2022. In contrast the percentage of females working from home increased from 3% in 2016 to 11% in 2022.
The proportion of males aged 15 years or over driving to work increased from 42% to 55% between 1986 and 2011, before falling to 48% in 2022. The proportion of males working from home fell from 22% in 1986 to 6% in 2006, 2011 and 2016. This increased to 11% in 2022.
In 2023, the landscape of new licensed private cars in Ireland changed. The percentage of cars using petrol dropped to 33% while diesel cars decreased to 22%. On a positive note electric cars made up 19% of new licenses, up from just 1% in 2018. Additionally, hybrid cars accounted for 26% new licenses, showing a growing interest in more environmentally friendly options. This can be seen in Table 8.5.
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