Dog licences in Ireland by county, 2024
Local authorities issued 211,267 dog licences in 2024. Here is every county, from the official Local Authority Control of Dogs Statistics Report 2024.
- 211,267dog licences issued in 2024
- 3.95individual licences per 100 people nationally
- Cavanmost licences per person (12.58 per 100)
- 41%of individual licences bought online
Individual licences per 100 people
Counties with more than one local authority (Cork, Dublin and Galway) are combined, using the report's 2022 Census populations.
All licences by county
| County | Population (2022) | Individual | Lifetime | General | Total | Individual per 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cork | 584,156 | 33,486 | 1,190 | 91 | 34,767 | 5.73 |
| Dublin | 1,458,154 | 30,408 | 2,265 | 2 | 32,675 | 2.09 |
| Kerry | 156,458 | 15,243 | 315 | 17 | 15,575 | 9.74 |
| Galway | 277,737 | 10,452 | 353 | 12 | 10,817 | 3.76 |
| Cavan | 81,704 | 10,277 | 182 | 12 | 10,471 | 12.58 |
| Tipperary | 167,895 | 8,901 | 189 | 5 | 9,095 | 5.3 |
| Limerick | 209,536 | 8,680 | 211 | 24 | 8,915 | 4.14 |
| Wicklow | 155,851 | 7,321 | 431 | 2 | 7,754 | 4.7 |
| Donegal | 167,084 | 7,483 | 177 | 12 | 7,672 | 4.48 |
| Wexford | 163,919 | 6,805 | 243 | 0 | 7,048 | 4.15 |
| Mayo | 137,970 | 6,724 | 215 | 22 | 6,961 | 4.87 |
| Louth | 139,703 | 6,667 | 233 | 5 | 6,905 | 4.77 |
| Waterford | 127,363 | 6,535 | 171 | 12 | 6,718 | 5.13 |
| Monaghan | 65,288 | 5,774 | 114 | 9 | 5,897 | 8.84 |
| Kildare | 247,774 | 5,412 | 390 | 6 | 5,808 | 2.18 |
| Meath | 220,826 | 4,884 | 308 | 7 | 5,199 | 2.21 |
| Kilkenny | 104,160 | 5,044 | 120 | 17 | 5,181 | 4.84 |
| Roscommon | 70,259 | 3,533 | 93 | 5 | 3,631 | 5.03 |
| Laois | 91,877 | 3,290 | 105 | 7 | 3,402 | 3.58 |
| Clare | 127,938 | 3,144 | 115 | 0 | 3,259 | 2.46 |
| Sligo | 70,198 | 2,667 | 73 | 3 | 2,743 | 3.8 |
| Offaly | 83,150 | 2,523 | 76 | 18 | 2,617 | 3.03 |
| Westmeath | 96,221 | 2,453 | 98 | 4 | 2,555 | 2.55 |
| Carlow | 61,968 | 2,049 | 55 | 4 | 2,108 | 3.31 |
| Leitrim | 35,199 | 1,848 | 47 | 4 | 1,899 | 5.25 |
| Longford | 46,751 | 1,541 | 54 | 0 | 1,595 | 3.3 |
| Ireland | 5,149,139 | 203,144 | 7,823 | 300 | 211,267 | 3.95 |
Quick answers
How many dog licences were issued in Ireland in 2024?
211,267, of which 203,144 were individual annual licences, 7,823 lifetime licences and 300 general licences, according to the Local Authority Control of Dogs Statistics Report 2024.
Which county has the most dog licences per person?
Cavan, with 12.58 individual licences per 100 people in 2024. Dublin had the fewest, with 2.09.
Does a licence count show how many dogs there are?
No. It counts licences sold, and a general licence covers many dogs at one premises. Unlicensed dogs are not counted, so the real number of dogs is higher.
Source, method and download
Figures come from the table "Dog licences issued in 2024 and licences by population" on page 44 of the Local Authority Control of Dogs Statistics Report 2024, published in the Dog Control Statistics collection on gov.ie. The report credits the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. We typed the table into a spreadsheet and checked every row and every column against the totals the report prints. We read the report on 2026-11-11.
The download gives all 31 local authorities separately, before we combine them into counties.