Over 70,000 vacant properties in Ireland, CSO figures show

Using very low levels of electricity consumption, the Central Statistics Office found that there were 70,149 vacant dwellings across Ireland at the end of 2024.

​These figures reduced from 2023, where they found that there were 72,254 by the end of that year, making the national vacancy rate 3.3%.

​Figures were discovered by using the ESB designations, and they found that there were 2,100 more dwellings moving out of vacancy than became vacant in 2024.

​The rural vacancy rate was 5.4%, while the urban vacancy rate being 2.2% by the end of 2024.

​The highest vacancy rates were in Leitrim (7.8%), Donegal (6.3%) and Mayo with a 6% vacancy rate.

​In Donegal, the area with the highest number of dwellings was Glenties, with 1,615 vacancies in that area alone.

​The lowest vacancy rates were found in South Dublin (0.9%), Fingal (1.1%), and Kildare, with 1.4%.

​To compile this data, the CSO based the research on very low levels of electricity consumption in individual dwellings.

​Making sure to analyse very low electricity consumption recorded over a one-year period, and this was required to be classified as vacant for the purposes of the analysis.

​Steven Conroy, statistician at the CSO, said: “Today’s release identifies dwellings which were classified as vacant based on low levels of electricity consumption of around 2kWh per day, or 180kWh per quarter, over a period of at least four consecutive quarters.

​“For context, 2kWh consumption is enough to power a medium-sized fridge for a day. This methodology provides insight into where vacant dwellings are and how vacancy rates have changed over time.

​“The CSO has previously published Residential Vacancy Based on Metered Electricity Consumption 2023, Metered Electricity Consumption and Vacant Dwelling Indicators based on Metered Electricity Consumption 2021, using data provided by ESB Networks.”