Ireland's 18 Government Departments

As of the 2025 budget, Ireland operates through 18 Government Departments, each overseeing a broad policy area. Some, like Rural & Community Development, manage relatively focused portfolios, while others—such as Health and Social Protection—are massive entities charged with delivering critical public services to millions of people. Together, these Departments handle daily services, policy implementation, and long-term investments across areas like healthcare, social welfare, education, infrastructure, and more.

The 2025 Budget: €105 Billion Allocated

The total allocated budget for 2025 comes to around €105 billion, an 11% increase on the 2024 figure. This growth raises questions: how are we funding these increases, and what does this trend tell us about shifting priorities over time? We should look into this in future posts.

Breaking it down:

• Total Allocated Budget : €105 billion

• Increase on 2024: 11%

• Top 3 Departments Combined : €65 billion

• Share of Top 3 in Total Budget: 62%

This concentration of spending in Education, Health and Social Protection, isn’t necessarily new—it reflects the significant ongoing costs required to maintain services and entitlements we’ve come to rely on. However, where we see above-average increases from one year to the next can hint at where the government is adjusting its focus, attempting reforms, or responding to emerging issues.

The Big Three: Education, Health, and Social Protection

1. Social Protection (€26.9bn):
   This covers welfare payments, state pensions, child benefit, and other key social safety net measures. Its large allocation underscores the government’s commitment to supporting vulnerable groups and working families.

2. Health (€25.8bn):
   Health sees a large boost, reflecting ongoing efforts to improve hospital capacity, reduce waiting times, and invest in community healthcare. It’s the single largest slice of the pie.

3. Education (€11.8bn):
   The education budget, which includes primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, highlights ongoing priorities in upskilling the workforce, improving school infrastructure, and expanding higher education opportunities.

Beyond the Big Three: Children, Inclusion and Housing

If we expand our view slightly to the Top 5 largest budgets, we can include

Children, Equality, Disability, Inclusion and Youth (€8.3bn):
A 12.5% increase indicates more resources going into child welfare, disability supports, and equality measures. There is a growing focus on social inclusion and support for families and vulnerable groups.

Housing, Local Government and Heritage (€7.9bn):
A 14.2% rise reflects ongoing efforts to tackle housing shortages and improve local services. This doesn’t guarantee solutions, but it does show a willingness to allocate more funds toward these persistent issues.

Why Highlight Departments by Size?

Focusing on where the majority of funds go helps us understand political priorities and the challenges Ireland faces. Sizable allocations to Health and Social Protection suggest the government is responding to demographic changes (such as an aging population and increased healthcare demands) and economic conditions (like maintaining living standards amid inflation).

Education’s large share points to an emphasis on developing human capital, innovation, and competitiveness in a global economy.

Data Sources and Methodology

The figures come from the Irish Government’s Expenditure Reports for 2024 and 2025. The numbers combine core and non-core expenditure, as well as current and capital spending, to give a full picture of what each department will oversee. Core spending often refers to ongoing operational costs, while non-core and capital expenditures cover major projects, infrastructure, or one-off investments.