Ireland's 11 billionaires are wealthier than 66% of the country's population, according to a new study from Oxfam.
The finding is contained in a report on global wealth inequality released by the charity to coincide with the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos in Switzerland.
It said Ireland's 11 billionaires are worth more than $54.4 billion (€46.7bn).
It represents a 2% increase in the wealth of the country's 11 billionaires since 2024, which means they are richer than 66% of the population or more than 3.4 million people combined.
The list includes Stripe founders John and Patrick Collison, who are estimated to be worth $10 billion (€8.6bn) each, along with businessman Denis O’Brien, who is estimated to be worth $3.1bn (€2.6bn), and investor Dermot Desmond, with a fortune of $2.3bn (€1.9bn).
The data is based on Oxfam's analysis of Forbes magazine's latest billionaire list for the year to the end of November 2025.
The report, entitled Resisting the Rule of the Rich, said the collective wealth of billionaires globally last year surged by $2.5 trillion.
It concluded that there are now more billionaires around the world than at any time in history, with the 12 richest billionaires owning more wealth than the poorest half of humanity - over four billion people.
According to Oxfam, billionaires are 4,000 times more likely to hold political office than ordinary people.
The report said nine out of the top 10 social media companies in the world are owned by just six billionaires, while eight of the top 10 AI companies are billionaire-run.
Only 13% of billionaires are women and they own just 13% of billionaires' total wealth.
The chief executive of Oxfam Ireland said economic inequality is "fuelling political capture worldwide".
Jim Clarken said a new oligarchy is emerging as the super-rich shape the rules and he said billionaires "own the media, dominate digital spaces and buy influence".
"Too many governments are siding with the powerful, not the public. The results are stark: rising extremism and authoritarianism, declining democracy, the shutting down of protest, attacks on marginalised communities, and the vandalism of our online ecosystems," he said.
"The choice is clear: oligarchy or democracy. We cannot have both," he added.
Oxfam Ireland has called on the Government to "fairly tax the super-rich, to regulate big tech and to fight disinformation and hate online".
Mr Clarken said in its global role, Ireland should "push to cancel unsustainable debt and reform a global financial system that locks countries in poverty".
"At home through our tax code and through our upcoming EU Council Presidency, the Irish Government can stand up against the concentrated power that threatens democracy itself," he added.
