Ireland
EU-27 · statistics to 2024–25 · policy framework at end-2025 · policy coded from the 2025 mid-term review report and the documents it cites
74.8composite, 0–100
5 / 45rank · 5 of 27 in EU-27
+1.8change since 2015, time-varying indicators
IrelandEU-27 average
Dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Rank /45 | EU-27 | EU-27 | Indicators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political | 92.8 | 1 | 71.5 | 71.5 | 7 / 8 |
| Economic | 59.9 | 19 | 62.8 | 62.8 | 13 / 20 |
| Legal | 60.3 | 24 | 63.8 | 63.8 | 7 / 12 |
| Institutional | 71.2 | 13 | 61.9 | 61.9 | 9 / 16 |
| Financial | 89.8 | 4 | 71.0 | 71.0 | 3 / 7 |
| Composite | 74.8 | 5 | 66.2 | 66.2 | 39 / 63 |
Indicators = scored now / in the full SEI matrix. Ties share a rank.
Composite, 2015–2024
IrelandEU-27 average
Same goalposts every year. Legal and financial scores are held at their single readings, so change comes from governance, social and labour statistics, firm demography and early-stage entrepreneurship.
Social-enterprise policy and legal framework, end-2025
| SE strategy / action plan 1.2.1 National Social Enterprise Policy 2019–2022; Trading for Impact National Social Enterprise Policy 2024–2027 (July 2024) · source | 3/3 |
| Institutional structure & dialogue 1.2.2 Department of Rural and Community Development (lead since 2017, dedicated unit); TFI Stakeholder Engagement Group; Social Finance and Social · source | 2/2 |
| Social clauses in public procurement 2.3.2 OGP Circular 05/2023 (SME access); Our Rural Future 2021–2025; Social Enterprise Social Procurement Working Group (2025) · source | 1/2 |
| Official SE definition 3.1 National Social Enterprise Policy 2019–2022 · source | 1/1 |
| Legal recognition of SEs 3.2.1 None; Companies Limited by Guarantee with charitable status; Co-operative Societies Bill 2022 in drafting · source | 0/2 |
| SE support ecosystem 4.3.6 Achieve Together (AT+) coaching and mentoring (Pobal, 2024); Dormant Accounts capacity-building; SE Shared Business Service pilot (2025); 31 · source | 2/2 |
| EU funds mobilised for SE 5.1.1 ESF+ (Achieve Together AT+, SICAP); EAFRD LEADER; PEACEPLUS; EaSI/InvestEU guarantees · source | 2/2 |
| Dedicated national funding 5.2.2 Dormant Accounts Fund SE Measure; Community Services Programme; KickStart Social Enterprise Fund; Hybrid Social Finance Loan Pilot; €2m capi · source | 2/2 |
Policy composite 81.2 of 100 (mean of the eight codes).
Cite this profile
Social Entrepreneurship Observatory & SENIC. (2026). Ireland: SEI 2026 country profile (provisional edition, version 0.9.1). Social Entrepreneurship Index. https://seindex.org/countries/ireland/