At an overall level, over eight in ten (81.6%) persons aged 18 years and over hold a current driving licence of some sort (full/provisional/non-Irish issued). More females than males aged 25 years to 34 hold a driving licence. Nearly nine in ten (85.4%) females aged 25 to 34 years hold a current driving licence of some sort for a car, compared with just over eight in ten (81.2%) males in this age group. For persons aged 75 years and over, 84% of males hold a current driving licence, compared with over half of females (51.7%) in this age group. See Table 7.1 and Figure 7.1.
| 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65-74 | 75+ | |
| Male | 81.2 | 89.5 | 91.3 | 89.9 | 88.5 | 84 |
| Female | 85.4 | 89.7 | 89.2 | 80.8 | 76.7 | 51.7 |
Licensed drivers were asked for the type of driving licence they possess. For those with a licence, Irish issued full driving licence is held by 91.3% of persons aged 18 years and over, a decrease of over two percentage points on the same period in 2019 (93.7%). During the COVID-19 pandemic, driver testing was suspended for a period, with resulting backlogs in driver theory test and driving tests. During the survey data collection period, restrictions had eased, and testing resumed, but there were significant delays due to COVID-19. There was little change in non-Irish issued driving licences held by persons aged 18 years and over – 2.9% in 2021 compared with 3% in 2019. See Table 7.2.
On 19 June 2026 Table 7.2 was updated. The figures for Provisional Licence incorrectly only included Irish issued Provisional Licences and not both Irish and Foreign issued Provisional Licences. This was incorrect and figures have been updated to include both. No other data has been changed. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
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