The Injuries Resolution Board (IRB) paid out €213 million in compensation last year, up from €168 million in 2024, according to new figures.
The increase is primarily due to the fact the IRB paid 10,032 awards in 2025 – compared with 8,598 the previous year – rather than an increase in the value of individual payments.
Claim volumes continued to decline last year with 20,077 applications submitted to the board, a 4 per cent decrease on 2024 and 35 per cent below 2019 levels.
The figures are contained in two reports published by the IRB, the independent State body responsible for resolving personal injury claims, on Wednesday.
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The IRB assesses claims ranging from minor injuries to severe and life-altering harm including fatal injuries. The highest award issued last year was €908,000, relating to a serious road traffic incident involving a vulnerable road user.
The highest public liability award in 2025 was €171,000, arising from a serious injury from a fall from a height. The highest employer liability award last year was €641,000, linked to a fatal workplace incident.
The median award of compensation last year was €14,020, an increase of 7 per cent on the previous year (€13,100) but 24 per cent lower than the 2020 median award of €18,459.
New personal injury guidelines were introduced in April 2021 to reduce the amount of damages paid.
The IRB said it delivered more than €88 million in savings last year, an increase of €12 million compared with 2024, through the avoidance of legal costs due to accepted claims not progressing to litigation.
Responding to the report, IRB chief executive Rosalind Carroll said: “In terms of the personal injuries’ environment, it is a very different environment to six years ago, with over 10,000 less claims on average per year being made and the value and nature of claims changing significantly in this period.”
Carroll said the IRB now deals with “more complex claims and claims involving more serious injuries”.
“Claim numbers reflected in today’s reports represent people who have experienced injuries, and in some cases a life-changing injury or loss,” she added.
