Ireland has lowest number of judges per capita in the EU

Figures show Ireland had just 3.6 judges per 100,000 population in 2024.

Ireland has the lowest number of judges in the EU on a per capita basis, according to figures published by the European Commission.

They also reveal Ireland is the only one of the 27 EU member states where male judges outnumber female members of the judiciary.

The latest figures show Ireland had just 3.6 judges per 100,000 population in 2024 — the latest year for which comparative statistics are available.

The comparatively small size of the Irish judiciary is highlighted by the fact that the per capita level is less than 25% of the EU average of 15.7 judges per 100,000 population.

In contrast, Croatia, which has the highest proportion of judges anywhere in the EU, has almost three times the EU average at 43.7 judges per 100,000 population.

Concern over lengthy proceedings

The relative scarcity of judges in Ireland is also noted in the latest annual Rule of Law report published by the European Commission, which assesses the justice systems operating across the EU.

The report also observed that concerns remain about the length of court proceedings in Ireland and on data-gathering to assess the overall efficiency of the Irish justice system.

It revealed that Ireland has the lowest clearance rates, which measure the number of resolved cases as a proportion of new cases, within the EU in 2024 for non-criminal cases.

The report acknowledged that the enactment of the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2025 would facilitate the appointment of 20 additional judges across the District Court, Circuit Court, and High Court.

They will follow the previous appointment of 24 additional judges in 2023 as recommended by the judicial planning working group.

'Hampered access to justice'

The Bar of Ireland has stressed that the effective implementation of the Family Courts Act, which provides for the establishment of family courts due to begin in 2027, in the forthcoming months and years will be heavily reliant on the allocation of sufficient resources.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has also claimed that Government underfunding of the judiciary has “hampered access to justice in Ireland.” Ireland is also an outlier in terms of a gender breakdown of judges, with 56.4% of all judges being male — the only EU state where female judges are in a minority.

The figures show there were 110 male judges in the Republic in 2024 compared to 85 females.

The proportion of female judges was as high as 81.4% in Slovenia.

The latest figures also reveal that Ireland has the 14th highest share of police officers relative to the general population, with 331 gardaí per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024.

However, the rate has fallen annually since 2020, when the Republic had 363 gardaí per 100,000, which indicates the size of the force, despite growing in recent years, has failed to keep pace with increases in population.