Ireland's households have €160bn in savings. Could it be used to solve the housing crisis?

As Irish households save billions, experts propose channelling funds into state-backed housing and infrastructure investments for long-term gain

Irish households saved €8.2bn in early 2025 — now experts want to use it to fix the housing crisis. Picture: Denis Minihane.

As Ireland grapples with a worsening housing crisis marked by soaring rents, a shortage of supply, and rising homelessness, construction industry bodies are pointing to an untapped resource that they say can help with long-term planning.

New figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) this week found that before adjusting for seasonality or inflation, Irish households saved €8.2bn in the first three months of 2025. For reference, the State allocated just over €5bn to housing in 2024.