The Directorate is responsible for most of the administrative and transactional HR functions for all Garda members and Garda staff. Among the HR functions administered in Athlumney House are pay & pensions; sick leave and other leave schemes; records, data protection and file management; and administration and statistics. In addition, the HR Directorate plays a leading role in other civilian HR matters such as resource management, discipline and industrial relations.
The Garda Commissioner is the appropriate authority for Garda staff. Apart from the administrative support duties in Garda Stations and offices, Garda staff are involved in the provision of essential roles in a wide range of managerial, professional, technical and industrial functions. Civilianisation has also enabled the establishment or expansion of some vital services which are wholly or largely provided by Garda staff – including the Garda National Immigration Bureau, the Garda Information Services Centre, the Garda Central Vetting Unit, the Fixed Charge Processing Office and the Communications Centre.
Garda and Garda Staff Numbers
The Garda strength as at 31 January 2026 stood at 14,397 (14,187 WTE) and the Garda staff strength as at 31 January 2026 stood at (3,527 WTE). A full breakdown by rank and grade is outlined under the tables 'Garda Numbers' and 'Garda Staff Numbers'.
Please note the footnotes on each table which identify that the information provided is reflective of that information available to the Garda HR Directorate at a point in time and may vary due to operational requirements. Consequently, please be aware that figures provided are current as of the table's date and ARE PROVISIONAL FIGURES AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
2025 Statistics
Find a further strength breakdown for 2025 here. This breakdown includes, amongst others, the latest statistics on the Roads Policing Unit, Garda Reserves and allocation of probationer Gardaí by division and station.
2026 Statistics
Find a further strength breakdown for 2026 here. This breakdown includes, amongst others, the latest statistics on the Roads Policing Unit, Garda Reserves and allocation of probationer Gardaí by division and station.
| Garda numbers as on the 31 January 2026 | |||||||
| RANK | END OF LAST MONTH | ATTESTED | CAREER BREAK - END | CAREER BREAK - START | RETIREMENTS ETC. | NET CHANGE (includes all movement including promotions etc.) | TOTAL AT END OF MONTH |
| Commissioner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Deputy Commissioner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Assistant Commissioner | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Chief Superintendent | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 |
| Superintendent | 167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165 |
| Inspector | 478 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 478 |
| Sergeant | 2,174 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,174 |
| Garda | 11,550 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
11,524 |
| Total | 14,425 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14,397 |
| Of which | |
| Career Breaks (incl ICB*) | 29 |
| Work-Sharing** |
36 |
| Secondments (Overseas etc) | 48 |
| Maternity Leave | 56 |
| Unpaid Maternity Leave | 27 |
| Paternity Leave | 14 |
| Available Strength on 31/01/26 | 14,187 |
* ICB - Incentivised Career Break
**Equates to 84 full time members
| Garda Staff as at 31 January 2026 | |
| TOTAL |
(WTE 3,527) |
# Figures provided are current as of the above dates and ARE PROVISIONAL FIGURES AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
| Garda Numbers by Division as on 31 January 2026 | |||||||||
| Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) Divisions | |||||||||
| Comm | D/Com | A/Com | C/Supt | Supt | Insp | Sergt | Gda | Total | |
| DMR Office | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 34 |
| EAST | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 43 | 314 | 372 |
| NORTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 19 | 91 | 640 | 757 |
| NORTH CENTRAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 93 | 568 | 683 |
| SOUTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 61 | 450 | 536 |
| SOUTH CENTRAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 21 | 91 | 605 | 724 |
| DMR ROADS POLICING | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 75 | 88 |
| WESTERN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 89 | 615 | 728 |
| TOTAL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 33 | 109 | 478 | 3,290 | 3,919 |
| Divisions other than DMR as on 31 January 2026 | |||||||||
| Comm | D/Comm | A/Comm | C/Supt | Supt | Insp | Sergt | Gda | Total | |
| CLARE/TIPPERARY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 18 | 114 | 523 | 663 |
| CORK CITY | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 19 | 114 | 581 | 722 |
| CORK COUNTY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 102 | 493 | 619 |
| DONEGAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 61 | 355 | 434 |
| GALWAY | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 23 | 100 | 487 | 618 |
| KERRY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 59 | 270 | 348 |
|
KILDARE/CARLOW |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 77 | 427 | 526 |
| LAOIS/OFFALY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 64 | 317 | 400 |
| LIMERICK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 19 | 94 | 483 | 603 |
| LOUTH/CAVAN/MONAGHAN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 20 | 108 |
567 |
704 |
|
MAYO/ROSCOMMON/LONGFORD |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 22 | 109 | 438 | 575 |
| MEATH/WESTMEATH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 79 | 452 | 554 |
| SLIGO/LEITRIM | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 53 | 222 | 291 |
| WATERFORD/KILKENNY | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
23 |
82 | 461 | 577 |
| WEXFORD/WICKLOW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 74 | 503 | 600 |
| TOTAL | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 77 | 266 | 1,290 | 6,579 | 8,234 |
|
Garda Reserve Numbers by Division as on 31 January 2026 |
|
| Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) Divisions | |
| Total | |
| EAST | 4 |
| NORTH | 23 |
| NORTH CENTRAL | 13 |
| SOUTH | 11 |
| SOUTH CENTRAL | 22 |
| WESTERN | 17 |
| TOTAL | 90 |
| Divisions other than DMR as on 31 January 2026 | |
| Total | |
| CLARE/TIPPERARY | 12 |
| CORK CITY | 30 |
| CORK COUNTY | 14 |
| DONEGAL | 5 |
| GALWAY | 19 |
| KERRY | 6 |
|
KILDARE/CARLOW |
12 |
| LAOIS/OFFALY | 8 |
| LIMERICK | 10 |
| LOUTH/CAVAN/MONAGHAN | 21 |
|
MAYO/ROSCOMMON/LONGFORD |
18 |
| MEATH/WESTMEATH | 21 |
| SLIGO/LEITRIM | 8 |
| WATERFORD/KILKENNY | 19 |
| WEXFORD/WICKLOW | 15 |
| TOTAL | 218 |
(A small number of Stations currently have no Garda member assigned to it, the service is provided to these stations by the Community / District Headquarters Station)
Legend: Comm = Commissioner, D/Comm = Deputy Commissioner, A/Comm = Assistant Commissioner, C/Supt = Chief Superintendent, Supt. = Superintendent, Insp. = Inspector, Sergt. = Sergeant, Gda = Garda.
Figures provided are current as of the above date and ARE PROVISIONAL FIGURES AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
The numbers provided above may vary based on current operational needs identified by local management.
The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 (and related Regulations) provides a statutory basis for reporting on the gender pay gap in Ireland. There is a requirement for organisations with greater than 250 employees to identify a snapshot date in June to report on the hourly gender pay gap across a range of metrics and to ensure that this is published by end of December.
The gender pay gap is the difference in average gross hourly pay of women when compared to men expressed as a percentage of men’s pay. Taking this approach enables organisations to understand if women are represented evenly across an organisation. The Gender pay gap should not be confused with equal pay which provides for assessment of pay for employees undertaking the same or similar roles or work of equal value. It is prohibited by Irish equality legislation to discriminate on the basis of pay because of gender.
An Garda Síochána Gender Pay Gap Report 2022
An Garda Síochána Gender Pay Gap Report 2023
Historical Data available on the following links:
Allocation of Probationer Gardaí since reopening of Garda College to end 2021
End of Month Totals for Garda Ranks for 2018 2019 2020 and 2021
Garda Staff gender breakdown - Civil Service grades 2013 - 2021
Garda Strengths 2005-2021 by Rank and Gender
Total Garda Workforce strengths -2005-2021 - includes available Garda member strengths
Historical Data - Garda Station Strength 2009 - 2025
Data as of 31 December each year