Ireland ranks third in world for pubs per person

Despite an overall decline in the number of pubs nationwide over the over 10 years, Ireland still ranks third in the world for the number off pubs per capita, according to a new study.

There were a total of 7,486 pub licences issued or renewed in Ireland in the period 2022-23, an over 8 per cent decrease since ten years previous. Despite this, Ireland remains high on the list of pubs per head of population (one for every 684 adults), only falling behind first-place Slovakia and runners-up Hungary.

In its latest report, the Health Research Board (HRB) also said that three in four Irish people live within walking distance (300 metres) of a pub, off-licence or shop selling alcohol.

The biggest percentage decrease in pub numbers was in Monaghan, which saw a drop of over 16 per cent, while Roscommon declined by 15.7 per cent and Waterford fell by 12.7 per cent.

The findings are part of a wider study which outlines that while there is was an overall decline in consumption per person, the average Irish person aged over 15 last year still consumed 9.9 litres of pure alcohol, which is well above the global average of 8.6 litres.

This average consumption figure equates to 37 bottles of vodka (70cl), 100 bottles of wine or 400 pints of beer.

The report's lead author, HRB research officer Anne Doyle, said that it was the first time that the HRB have looked at accessibility to alcohol in detail”.

“We also found there is a greater density of licensed premises in deprived communities. This is significant because evidence shows that people in deprived areas are more likely to experience alcohol-related harms, despite consumption being lower or equal to affluent areas."