This site mirrors the IFLA Library Map to maintain access, under CC-BY 4.0, due to poor site reliability. Additional fixes: removed intrusive tracking. Improved mobile device compatibility.

About Ireland

Ireland

Region: Europe

Area: 70,280 km²

Population: 5,395,790

Libraries (Service Points): 438

Libraries in Ireland

Last update: July 2022

Libraries have been part of Irish society for over three centuries. Despite being a small island nation, the sector has grown to include a wide range of library types in public and private ownership, and operating in the education, enterprise, government, community, health, heritage and not-for profit sectors.

Ireland’s public library service includes 330 service points and 29 mobile libraries. Established in 1855 through the Public Libraries Act, each local authority is responsible for managing and delivering the public library service in its administrative area. With over 17 million visits annually, libraries play an important community role as centers of knowledge, information and culture. The overall current strategy for Irish Public Libraries is set by the Libraries Development Committee reporting into the LGMA and government Department of Rural and Community Development.

The Library Association of Ireland (LAI) is the professional body representing the library sector in Ireland. The LAI has a number of committees representing different aspects of librarianship and facilitating sectorial engagement. The LAI publishes a journal twice yearly, An Leabharlann, sharing knowledge and professional practices from librarians and libraries across the country. The LAI has developed strong collaboration with CILIP Ireland, the representative body for libraries and librarians in Northern Ireland.

The mission of the National Library of Ireland (NLI) is to collect, preserve, promote and make accessible the documentary and intellectual record of the life of Ireland and to contribute to the provision of access to the larger universe of recorded knowledge. In recent years the NLI has collaborated with partners like the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) to enhance digital collections and access for all. The NLI includes dedicated exhibition space, a Photographic Library, genealogical and heraldic services and the Museum of Literature of Ireland (MoLI) in collaboration with University College Dublin (UCD).

Approximately 10% of Ireland’s 770 secondary schools have school libraries, with different staffing approaches, a smaller number with professional staff. Very limited data is available on formal library spaces in primary schools. The Junior Certificate School Program JCSP Demonstration Library Project  provides 30 libraries to secondary schools with a full time professional librarian and a yearly operational budget. The project also provides a digital library service to all schools running the JCSP programme. The aim of the project is to provide students with a print rich environment that also becomes a cultural third space.

Ireland’s academic and research libraries support higher education, teaching, research development and scholarly communications alongside the development of student skills, cultural engagement and supporting new digital environments for knowledge sharing and exchange. Academic libraries are largely funded through the core government grants to higher education institutions or through central funding for private institutions. Academic Libraries have a range of representative organisations that support professional and para-professional staff with opportunities to share skills, knowledge and develop continual professional development programs.

The Health Service Executive runs 28 libraries and other hospitals host independent libraries in medical and healthcare settings. Government agencies and departments host specialist libraries for staff and some are open to the public by consultation or operate as research centers. Irish charity and community libraries are also part of this diverse landscape of the library sector.

There are a range of other libraries in Ireland, for example the Law Library and significant historical libraries such as Marsh’s Library, which was the first public library in Ireland established in 1707. Many of Ireland’s cultural institutions also have specialist libraries such as the Chester Beatty Library and the art library of the National Gallery of Ireland.

Library data

Libraries (Service Points) 438
Main Libraries 77
Branch Libraries 300
External Service Points 0
Mobile Libraries 30
Libraries (Administrative Units) 44
Libraries with Internet Access 434
Full-Time Staff 2,471
Volunteers 30
Registered Users 1.1 M
Physical Visits 24.3 M
Physical Loans 17.6 M
eBook Loans 587,917
Audio Book Loans 416,046
Downloads 12.9 M

Contextual data

Population and Geography
5,395,790

Population

No Data Available

Population Growth

28.3%

Proportion of Population Younger than 15

24.2%

Proportion of Population Older than 64

77.1

Population Density
people per sq km

64.3%

Population Growth

Information and Infrastructure
100.0%

Access to Electricity

96.5%

Internet Users

93.0%

Female Internet Users

No Data Available

Male Internet Users

Poverty and Employment
130,797.5%

GDP per capita

0.1%

Poverty Rate
2011 PPP

29.0%

Inequality
2011 PPP

4.3%

Unemployment

5.8%

Inactive Youth
2011 PPP

Education and Literacy
2.9%

Education Spending
% of GDP

No Data Available

Adult Literacy Rate
% of people age 15+

No Data Available

Female Adult Literacy
% of GDP

No Data Available

Male Adult Literacy
% of people age 15+

No Data Available

Female Youth Literacy
% of GDP

No Data Available

Male Youth Literacy
% of people age 15+

Innovation and Skills
1.0%

Research Spending
% of GDP

1

Researchers
% of GDP

9,254

Research Spending
% of GDP

Library data

Library type

Total

National

Academic

Public

Community

School

Other

Libraries (Service Points)

Library service point is a fixed or mobile facility through which library provides a service to its users. Central libraries, branch libraries, mobile libraries, and external service points located in different geographical locations and managed by one administrative unit are all each individual service points. Number of libraries is the total number of central/main libraries, branch libraries, external service points and mobile libraries.

438

438

2019

1

2019

31

2017

359

2019

14

2019

33

2019
Main Libraries

Central/main library is usually part or those parts of an administrative unit where the main administrative functions and the important parts of the library collection and services are located. An administrative unit comprising several branch libraries does not necessarily include a central library.

77

77

2019

1

2019

30

2019

13

2019

33

2019
Branch Libraries

Branch library is a part of a larger administrative unit providing, in separate quarters, a service for a particular user group (e.g. children, faculties) or for a locally defined clientele. Institute, departmental and other affiliated libraries are included. Mobile libraries and external service points are excluded.

300

300

2019

0

2019

300

2019

0

2019

0

2019
External Service Points

External service point is a point away from library premises at which a certain service is regularly offered to users. This includes places within a locality at which library material is deposited for informal circulation to a restricted group of users but without other library services, for example, old people’s homes, community centres, collections for hospital patients. Mobile libraries and their stops are not counted as external service points.

0

0

2019

0

2019

0

2019

0

2019

0

2019
Mobile Libraries

Mobile library is a library, sometimes a division of a public library, using transport means to provide documents and services directly to users as an alternative to access on library premises.

30

30

2019

0

2019

29

2019

1

2019

0

2019
Libraries (Administrative Units)

Administrative unit is any independent library, or group of libraries, under a single directorate or a single administration. The term “independent” does not imply legal or financial independence but only that the library is a recognisably separate unit, typically within a larger organisation. The administrative unit can be a single library or a larger organisation, typically containing a central/main library, branch libraries and administrative functions.

44

44

2019

1

2019

30

2019

13

2019

Libraries with Internet Access

Libraries (Service Points) that provides internet access from at least one workstation available to the public regardless of whether access is free, and/or provides a wireless network allowing users to connect to the Internet.

434

434

2019

1

2019

31

2017

359

2019

13

2019

30

2019
Full-Time Staff

Full-time equivalent (FTE) staff are all library employees who work for the library in return for payment. It includes professional staff, qualified staff, project staff and assistants. Other staff (library employees who work in security and on domestic duties, for example, cleaners, porters, caretakers and catering staff) and volunteers are excluded.

2,471

2,471

2019

75

2019

526

2017

1,800

2019

13

2019

57

2019
Volunteers

Volunteer is a person working on library tasks without payment. In counting volunteers, the concept of headcount is used.

30

30

2019

0

2019

28

2019

2

2019
Registered Users

Registered user is a person or organisation registered with a library in order to use its collection and/or services within or away from the library. Users may be registered upon their request or automatically when enrolling in the institutions.

1.1 M

1,063,427

2019

10,000

2019

127,700

2017

885,971

2019

5,479

2019

34,277

2019
Physical Visits

Physical visit is a person (individual) entering the library premises.

24.3 M

24,324,407

2019

280,000

2019

6,805,072

2017

16,986,669

2019

191,180

2019

61,486

2019
Physical Loans

Physical loan is a direct lending or delivery transaction of an item in physical form. Physical loans include loans of items in non-electronic form (e.g. books) and loans electronic documents on a physical carrier (e.g. CD-ROM).

17.6 M

17,629,293

2019

N/A

2019

1,048,068

2017

16,413,959

2019

142,609

2019

24,657

2019
eBook Loans

eBook is a non-serial digital document, licenced or not, where searchable text is prevalent, and similar to a print book (monograph). eBooks can be lent to users either on portable devices (eBook readers) or by transmitting the contents to the user’s PC or other device for a limited time period.

587,917

587,917

2019

N/A

2019

345,877

2019

74,650

2019

167,390

2019
Audio Book Loans

Audio book (or talking book) is a sound recording of readings of a book, magazine, or newspaper, usually designed for use by visually impaired people. Audio books can be lent to users either on a physical carrier or other device, or by transmitting the content to the user’s PC or other device for a limited time period.

416,046

416,046

2019

N/A

2019

413,293

2019

2,753

2019

Downloads

Download is a content unit that is successfully requested from a library-provided online service or other internet service (e.g. database, electronic serial or digital document).

12.9 M

12,881,616

2019

N/A

2019

12,261,880

2017

619,736

2019

N/A

2019

Population

Ireland

Region

World

Population

Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

total

5,395,790

2024

928,263,208

2024

8,141,808,945

2024

Proportion of Population Younger than 15

Age dependency ratio, young, is the ratio of younger dependents--people younger than 15--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.

percentage of working-age population

28.3%

2024

27.0%

2024

38.0%

2024

Proportion of Population Older than 64

Age dependency ratio, old, is the ratio of older dependents--people older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.

precentage of working-age population

24.2%

2024

28.1%

2024

15.7%

2024

Population Growth

Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

annual percentage

1.6%

2024

0

2024

1.0%

2024

Population Density

Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.

people persq. km of land area

77.1%

2023

33.7%

2022

61.6%

2022

Urban Population

Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.

percentage of total population

64.3%

2024

74.0%

2024

57.6%

2024

Information Infrastructure

Ireland

Region

World

Internet Users

Internet users are individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months. The Internet can be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc.

percentage of population

96.5%

2023

90.9%

2024

71.2%

2024

Female Internet Users

This indicator refers to female individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months. The Internet can be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc.

percentage of female population

93.0%

2020

90.0%

2024

68.2%

2024

Male Internet Users

This indicator refers to male individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months. The Internet can be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc.

percentage of male population

-

90.0%

-

Access to Electricity

Access to electricity is the percentage of population with access to electricity. Electrification data are collected from industry, national surveys and international sources.

percentage of population

100.0%

2023

100.0%

2023

91.6%

2023

Economy, Poverty, and Employment

Ireland

Region

World

GDP per Capita

This indicator provides values for gross domestic product (GDP) expressed in current international dollars, converted by purchasing power parities (PPPs). PPPs account for the different price levels across countries and thus PPP-based comparisons of economic output are more appropriate for comparing the output of economies and the average material well-being of their inhabitants than exchange-rate based comparisons. Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. This series has been linked to produce a consistent time series to counteract breaks in series over time due to changes in base years, source data and methodologies. Thus, it may not be comparable with other national accounts series in the database for historical years. The core indicator has been divided by the general population to achieve a per capita estimate. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. The PPP conversion factor is a currency conversion factor and a spatial price deflator. PPPs convert different currencies to a common currency and, in the process of conversion, equalize their purchasing power by eliminating the differences in price levels between countries, thereby allowing volume or output comparisons of GDP and its expenditure components.

current international $

130,797

2024

51,720.6

2024

24,405

2024

Poverty Rate

Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.00 a day at 2021 purchasing power adjusted prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

percentage of population

0.1%

2023

0.5%

2024

10.3%

2024

Inequality

Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household. The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.

percentage

29.0%

2023

0.0%

-

Unemployment

Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.

percentage of total labor force

4.3%

2024

5.3%

2024

6.2%

2021

Inactive Youth

The share of youth not in education, employment or training (also known as “the NEET rate”) conveys the number of young persons not in education, employment or training as a percentage of the total youth population. Youth not in education are those who were neither enrolled in school nor in a formal training program (e.g. vocational training). For the purposes of this indicator, youth is defined as all persons between the ages of 15 and 24 (inclusive).


percentage of youth population

5.8%

2024

11.7%

2024

-

Education and Literacy

Ireland

Region

World

Education Spending

General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.


percentage of GDP

2.9%

2021

4.6%

2022

3.5%

2023

Adult Literacy Rate

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of people ages 15 and above

-

4.6%

2022

87.7%

2024

Female Adult Literacy

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of females ages 15 and above

-

98.5%

2024

84.6%

2024

Male Adult Literacy

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of males ages 15 and above

-

99.1%

2023

90.9%

2024

Female Youth Literacy

Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of females ages 15-24

-

99.8%

2023

92.0%

2024

Male Youth Literacy

Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of males ages 15-24

-

99.8%

2023

94.1%

2024

Research and Innovation

Ireland

Region

World

Research Spending

Gross domestic expenditures on research and development (R&D), expressed as a percent of GDP. They include both capital and current expenditures in the four main sectors: Business enterprise, Government, Higher education and Private non-profit. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development.


percentage of GDP

1.0%

2022

2.0%

2022

2.7%

2022

Researchers

The number of researchers engaged in Research &Development (R&D), expressed as per million. Researchers are professionals who conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories, models techniques instrumentation, software of operational methods. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development.


per million people

5,512

2022

3,466.1

2022

1,516

2018

Scientific Articles

Article counts refer to publications from a selection of conference proceedings and peer-reviewed journals from Scopus in science and engineering fields, according to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Taxonomy of Disciplines.


fractional count

9,254

2022

913,901.4

2022

3,338,192

2022

National Library Associations

Library Association of Ireland (LAI) / Cumann Leabharlann na hÉireann

The Library Association of Ireland (LAI) is the professional body representing the library sector in Ireland. The LAI has a number of committees representing different aspects of librarianship and facilitating sectorial engagement. The LAI publishes a journal twice yearly, An Leabharlann, sharing knowledge and professional practices from librarians and libraries across the country. In 2022, LAI has over 570 members.

National Library of Ireland (NLI) / Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann

The mission of the National Library of Ireland (NLI) is to collect, preserve, promote, and make accessible the documentary and intellectual record of the life of Ireland and to contribute to the provision of access to the larger universe of recorded knowledge. In recent years the NLI has collaborated with partners like the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) to enhance digital collections and access for all. The NLI includes dedicated exhibition space, a Photographic Library, genealogical and heraldic services, and the Museum of Literature of Ireland (MoLI) in collaboration with University College Dublin (UCD).

Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) / An Gníomhaireacht Bainistíochta Rialtais Áitiúil (GBRÁ)

The overall current strategy for Irish Public Libraries is set by the Libraries Development Committee reporting into the LGMA and government Department of Rural and Community Development.

Consortium of National and University Libraries (CONUL)

The Consortium of National and University Libraries (CONUL) is the representative body of research libraries in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

IReL

IReL is a nationally funded e-resource licensing consortium providing access to online resources to participating Irish higher education institutions.

National Policy for Libraries

There is no information available.

There is no information available.

Professional Qualification Requirements

There is no information available.

There is no information available.

There is no information available.

There is no information available.

Library Location Resources

No information available