Ireland uses theNomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS)geocodestandard for referencingcountry subdivisions for statistical purposes.[1] The standard is developed and regulated by theEuropean Union. The NUTS standard is instrumental in deliveringEuropean Structural and Investment Funds. The NUTS code for Ireland isIE and a hierarchy of three levels is established byEurostat. A further level of geographic organisation, the local administrative unit (LAU), in Ireland is thelocal electoral area.
| Level | Subdivisions |
|---|---|
| NUTS 1 | 1 |
| NUTS 2 statistical regions | 3 |
| NUTS 3 statistical regions | 8 |
| Local administrative units | 166 |
The most recent revision of NUTS regions was made in 2016 and took effect in 2018.[2] The eligibility of regions for funding under theEuropean Regional Development Fund and theEuropean Social Fund Plus was revised in 2021. NUTS 2 Regions may be classified as less developed regions, transition regions, or more developed regions.[3]
| NUTS 1 | Code | NUTS 2 | Code | Status | NUTS 3 | Code | Local government areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Éire / Ireland | IE0 | Northern and Western Region | IE04 | Transition | Border | IE041 | Cavan,Donegal,Leitrim,Monaghan,Sligo |
| West | IE042 | Mayo,Roscommon,Galway andGalway City | |||||
| Southern Region | IE05 | More developed | Mid-West | IE051 | Clare,Tipperary,Limerick City and County | ||
| South-East | IE052 | Carlow,Kilkenny,Wexford,Waterford City and County | |||||
| South-West | IE053 | Kerry,Cork andCork City | |||||
| Eastern and Midland Region | IE06 | More developed | Dublin | IE061 | Dublin City,Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown,Fingal andSouth Dublin | ||
| Mid-East | IE062 | Kildare,Meath,Wicklow,Louth | |||||
| Midland | IE063 | Laois,Longford,Offaly,Westmeath |
| Region | Population (2022)[4] | Area (km2) | Population density | % of population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Border | 417,260 | 11,516 | 36 | 8.14% |
| West | 483,677 | 14,289 | 34 | 9.44% |
| Mid-West | 500,524 | 10,511 | 48 | 9.77% |
| South-East | 456,228 | 7,198 | 63 | 8.9% |
| South-West | 736,489 | 12,312 | 60 | 14.37% |
| Dublin | 1,450,701 | 926 | 1,567 | 28.31% |
| Mid-East | 761,858 | 6,891 | 111 | 14.87% |
| Midland | 316,799 | 6,651 | 48 | 6.18% |
| Ireland | 5,123,536 | 70,294 | 73 | 100% |
The local administrative units in Ireland are thelocal electoral areas.[5] These are subdivisions of local government areas used for local elections. In counties outside Dublin and in the cities and counties, they also form the basis of municipal districts within local authorities.
Each of the three NUTS 2 regions has aRegional Assembly. These are divided into strategic planning areas, which correspond to the NUTS 3 regions. Prior to 2014, the eight NUTS 3 regions had Regional Authorities. The 2014 act abolished these and transferred their functions to the Regional Assemblies.[6] Assembly members are nominated by constituent local authorities from among their elected councillors.
