From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Demographics of the Republic of Ireland

none

Summary

none

Field	Value
place	Ireland
image	File:Ireland 2023 population pyramid.svg
caption	Population pyramid of Ireland in 2023
size_of_population	5,458,600 (2025)
density	per km2
growth	8.1%
birth	10.5 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
death	6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
life	80.19 years
life_male	78 years
life_female	82.6 years
fertility	1.70 children born/woman (2022 est.)
infant_mortality	3.85 deaths/1,000 live births
net_migration	10.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population
age_0–14_years	19.98%
age_15–64_years	65.26%
age_65_years	14.76%
total_mf_ratio	0.99 male/female
sr_at_birth	1.057 male/female
sr_under_15	1.07 male/female
sr_15–64_years	1.00 male/female
sr_65_years_over	0.81 male/female
nation	Irish
major_ethnic	Irish 76.66%
minor_ethnic	Other European 10.8% Asian 3.3% Black 1.5% Other 1.7%
official	Irish, English
spoken	Irish sign language, Shelta, Ulster Scots
image_size	350

| age_0–14_years = 19.98% | age_15–64_years = 65.26%

| sr_15–64_years = 1.00 male/female

Ireland had an estimated population of 5,458,600 as of 1 April 2025.{{cite web |title=Population and Migration Estimates, April 2025

Demographic history

The island of Ireland's population has fluctuated over history. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, Ireland experienced a major population boom as a result of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. In the 50-year period 1790–1840, the population of the island doubled from 4 million to 8 million. At its peak, Ireland's population density was similar to that of England and continental Europe.

This changed dramatically with the Great Famine of the mid-19th century, which led to mass starvation and consequent mass emigration. In the area covering the present day Republic of Ireland, the population reached about 6.5 million in the mid-1840s. Ten years later it was down to 5 million. The population continued a slow decline well into the 20th century, with the Republic recording a low of 2.8 million in the 1961 census.

During the 1960s, the population started to grow once more, although slowly as emigration was still common. In the 1990s the country entered a period of rapid economic growth as a result of the Celtic Tiger Irish economic boom, and the Republic started to receive immigration. Many former Irish emigrants returned home, and Ireland became an attractive destination for immigrants, from other member states in the EU such as Central Europe, but also from outside the EU such as Africa, Asia and elsewhere. With the 2008 onset of the Irish economic and banking crisis, the state's economy suffered, and Ireland has once again been experiencing net emigration of its citizens, but immigration remains high.

In November 2013, Eurostat reported that the Republic had the largest net emigration rate of any member state, at 7.6 emigrants per 1,000 population. However, it has the youngest population of any European Union member state and its population size is predicted to grow for many decades, in contrast with the declining population predicted for most European countries. A report published in 2008 predicted that the population would reach 6.7 million by 2060. The Republic has also been experiencing a baby boom, with increasing birth rates and overall fertility rates. Despite this, the total fertility rate is still below replacement depending on when the measurement is taken. The Irish fertility rate is still the highest of any European country. This increase is significantly fuelled by non-Irish immigration – in 2009, one-quarter of all babies born in Ireland were born to foreign-born mothers.

|1841 | 6,528,799 |1851 | 5,111,557 |1861 | 4,402,111 |1871 | 4,053,187 |1881 | 3,870,020 |1891 | 3,468,694 |1901 | 3,221,823 |1911 | 3,139,688 |1926 | 2,971,992 |1936 | 2,968,420 |1946 | 2,955,107 |1951 | 2,960,593 |1961 | 2,818,341 |1971 | 2,978,248 |1981 | 3,443,405 |1991 | 3,525,719 |2002 | 3,917,203 |2011 | 4,588,252 |2022 | 5,149,139

Population

The population of Ireland was 5,123,536 people in 2022. Demographic statistics as of 2019.

One birth every 8 minutes
One death every 16 minutes
One net migrant every 90 minutes
Net gain of one person every 14 minutes

; Geographic Population Distribution

Urban population (areas with 1,500 people): 62.0% (2011)

Rural population: 38.0% (2011)[[File:Population of Ireland and Europe 1750 to 2005.svg|thumb|360px|A graph of the populations of the island of Ireland and Europe from 1750 to the present showing Ireland's "massive" population spike in the early 19th century and subsequent collapse due to the 1845–49 famine and subsequent emigration.]]

Fertility

The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman.

Year	1850	1851	1852	1853	1854	1855	1856	1857	1858	1859	1860
Total fertility rate of Ireland	4.20	4.13	4.06	3.99	3.93	3.86	3.79	3.72	3.65	3.58	3.51

Year	1861	1862	1863	1864	1865	1866	1867	1868	1869	1870
Total fertility rate of Ireland	3.45	3.38	3.31	3.24	3.47	3.54	3.53	3.58	3.58	3.71

Year	1871	1872	1873	1874	1875	1876	1877	1878	1879	1880
Total fertility rate of Ireland	3.67	3.72	3.63	3.57	3.51	3.57	3.54	3.40	3.44	3.31

Year	1881	1882	1883	1884	1885	1886	1887	1888	1889	1890
Total fertility rate of Ireland	3.33	3.22	3.15	3.20	3.15	3.11	3.10	3.06	3.04	2.99

Year	1891	1892	1893	1894	1895	1896	1897	1898	1899
Total fertility rate of Ireland	3.05	3.01	3.09	3.08	3.12	3.17	3.16	3.13	3.09

Birth rate; 13.8 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 137th

Total fertility rate; 1.96 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 125th

Mother's mean age at first birth; 30.7 years (2015 est.)

Life expectancy

[[Life expectancy]] in Ireland since 1901

Life expectancy in Ireland since 1960 by gender

Death rate; 6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 140th

Period	Life expectancy in
Years	Period	Life expectancy in
Years
1950–1955	66.9	1985–1990	74.2
1955–1960	69.2	1990–1995	75.3
1960–1965	70.1	1995–2000	76.0
1965–1970	70.8	2000–2005	77.8
1970–1975	71.2	2005–2010	79.7
1975–1980	72.0	2010–2015	80.9
1980–1985	73.2

Source: UN World Population Prospects

Age structure

Age structure

:0–14 years: 21.37% (male 554,110 /female 529,067) :15–24 years: 11.92% (male 306,052 /female 297,890) :25–54 years: 42.86% (male 1,091,495 /female 1,080,594) :55–64 years: 10.53% (male 267,255 /female 266,438) :65 years and over: 13.32% (male 312,694 /female 362,455) (2018 est.)

Median age; total: 37.1 years

: male: 36.8 years : female: 37.5 years (2018 est.)

Vital statistics

	Population (1 April)	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1000)	Crude death rate (per 1000)	Natural change (per 1000)	Crude migration (per 1000)
1900	3,231,000	70,435			21.8
1901	3,234,000	70,194	55,165	15,029	21.7	17.1	4.6
1902	3,205,000	71,156	54,505	16,651	22.2	17.0	5.2
1903	3,191,000	70,541	54,262	16,279	22.1	17.0	5.1
1904	3,169,000	72,261	55,997	16,264	22.8	17.7	5.1
1905	3,160,000	71,427	52,122	19,305	22.6	16.5	6.1
1906	3,164,000	72,147	51,388	20,759	22.8	16.2	6.6
1907	3,145,000	70,773	53,580	17,193	22.5	17.0	5.5
1908	3,147,000	71,439	53,758	17,681	22.7	17.1	5.6
1909	3,135,000	72,119	52,698	19,421	23.0	16.8	6.2
1910	3,132,000	71,744	52,318	19,426	22.9	16.7	6.2
1911	3,129,000	71,351	51,149	20,202	22.8	16.3	6.5
1912	3,116,000	70,734	50,489	20,245	22.7	16.2	6.5	-9.7
1913	3,106,000	70,214	52,184	18,030	22.6	16.8	5.8	-8.4
1914	3,098,000	69,102	49,674	19,428	22.3	16.0	6.3	-16.0
1915	3,068,000	67,501	53,713	13,788	22.0	17.5	4.5	-3.5
1916	3,071,000	64,814	50,627	14,187	21.1	16.5	4.6	-4.6
1917	3,071,000	61,429	51,713	9,716	20.0	16.8	3.2	-3.9
1918	3,069,000	61,092	53,682	7,410	19.9	17.5	2.4	-5.3
1919	3,060,000	61,829	55,776	6,044	19.9	18.2	1.7	12.0
1920	3,102,000	67,015	45,521	21,494	21.6	14.7	6.9	-8.8
1921	3,096,000	61,010	44,537	16,473	19.7	14.4	5.3	-13.7
1922	3,070,000	58,849	44,547	14,302	18.5	14.5	4.0	-22.2
1923	3,014,000	62,417	42,217	19,473	20.5	14.0	6.5	-9.5
1924	3,005,000	63,402	45,180	18,222	21.1	15.0	6.1	-12.8
1925	2,985,000	62,069	43,650	18,419	20.8	14.6	6.2	-10.9
1926	2,971,000	61,176	41,740	19,436	20.6	14.0	6.5	-11.2
1927	2,957,000	60,054	43,677	16,377	20.3	14.8	5.5	-9.9
1928	2,944,000	59,176	41,792	17,384	20.1	14.2	5.9	-8.3
1929	2,937,000	58,280	42,991	15,289	19.8	14.6	5.2	-8.6
1930	2,927,000	58,353	41,702	16,651	19.9	14.2	5.7	-3.7
1931	2,933,000	57,086	42,947	14,139	19.5	14.6	4.8	0.7
1932	2,949,000	56,240	42,984	13,256	19.1	14.6	4.5	-0.1
1933	2,962,000	57,364	40,539	16,825	19.4	13.7	5.7	-2.7
1934	2,971,000	57,897	39,083	18,814	19.5	13.2	6.3	-6.3
1935	2,971,000	58,266	41,543	16,723	19.6	14.0	5.6	-6.9
1936	2,967,000	58,115	42,586	15,529	19.6	14.4	5.2	-11.6
1937	2,948,000	56,488	45,086	11,402	19.2	15.3	3.9	-7.6
1938	2,937,000	56,925	40,041	16,884	19.4	13.6	5.7	-6.7
1939	2,934,000	56,070	41,717	14,353	19.1	14.2	4.9	3.3
1940	2,958,000	56,594	41,885	14,709	19.1	14.2	5.0	6.8
1941	2,993,000	56,780	43,797	12,983	19.0	14.6	4.3	-14.3
1942	2,963,000	66,117	41,640	24,477	22.3	14.1	8.3	-14.0
1943	2,946,000	64,375	43,494	20,881	21.9	14.8	7.1	-7.8
1944	2,944,000	65,425	45,128	20,297	22.2	15.3	6.9	-4.2
1945	2,952,000	66,861	42,762	24,099	22.6	14.5	8.2	-6.5
1946	2,957,000	67,922	41,457	26,465	23.0	14.0	8.9	-3.2
1947	2,974,000	68,978	44,061	24,917	23.2	14.8	8.4	-4.7
1948	2,985,000	65,930	36,357	29,573	22.1	12.2	9.9	-11.2
1949	2,981,000	64,153	38,062	26,091	21.5	12.8	8.8	-12.8
1950	2,969,000	63,565	37,741	25,824	21.4	12.7	8.7	-11.2
1951	2,961,000	62,878	42,382	20,496	21.2	14.3	6.9	-9.6
1952	2,953,000	64,631	35,105	29,526	21.9	11.9	10.0	-11.4
1953	2,949,000	62,558	34,591	27,967	21.2	11.7	9.5	-12.2
1954	2,941,000	62,534	35,535	26,999	21.3	12.1	9.2	-16.0
1955	2,921,000	61,622	36,761	24,861	21.1	12.6	8.5	-16.4
1956	2,898,000	60,740	33,910	26,830	21.0	11.7	9.3	-13.8
1957	2,885,000	61,242	34,311	26,931	21.2	11.9	9.3	-20.4
1958	2,853,000	59,510	34,248	25,262	20.9	12.0	8.9	-11.4
1959	2,846,000	60,188	34,243	25,945	21.1	12.0	9.1	-14.0
1960	2,832,000	60,735	32,660	28,075	21.4	11.5	9.9	-14.8
1961	2,818,000	59,825	34,763	25,062	21.2	12.3	8.9	-4.6
1962	2,830,000	61,782	33,838	27,944	21.8	12.0	9.9	-2.8
1963	2,850,000	63,246	33,795	29,451	22.2	11.9	10.3	-5.4
1964	2,864,000	64,072	32,630	31,442	22.4	11.4	11.0	-6.8
1965	2,876,000	63,525	33,022	30,503	22.1	11.5	10.6	-7.8
1966	2,884,000	62,215	35,113	27,102	21.6	12.2	9.4	-3.9
1967	2,900,000	61,307	31,400	29,907	21.1	10.8	10.3	-5.8
1968	2,913,000	61,004	33,157	27,847	20.9	11.4	9.6	-5.1
1969	2,926,000	62,912	33,734	29,178	21.5	11.5	10.0	-1.8
1970	2,950,000	64,382	33,686	30,696	21.8	11.4	10.4	-0,9
1971	2,978,000	67,551	31,890	35,661	22.7	10.7	3.4	12.0
1972	3,024,000	68,527	34,381	34,146	22.7	11.4	11.3	4.9
1973	3,073,000	68,713	34,192	34,521	22.4	11.1	11.2	5.4
1974	3,124,000	68,907	34,921	33,986	22.1	11.2	10.9	6.1
1975	3,177,000	67,178	33,173	34,005	21.1	10.4	10.7	5.4
1976	3,228,000	67,718	34,043	33,675	21.0	10.5	10.4	3.2
1977	3,272,000	68,892	33,632	35,260	21.1	10.3	10.8	2.0
1978	3,314,000	70,299	33,794	36,505	21.2	10.2	11.0	5.3
1979	3,368,000	72,539	33,771	38,768	21.5	10.0	11.5	-1.7
1980	3,401,000	74,064	33,472	40,592	21.8	9.8	11.9	0.4
1981	3,443,000	72,158	32,929	39,229	21.0	9.6	11.4	-0.7
1982	3,480,000	70,843	32,457	38,386	20.4	9.3	11.0	-4.1
1983	3,504,000	67,117	32,076	35,041	19.2	9.2	10.0	-2.9
1984	3,529,000	64,062	32,154	31,908	18.2	9.1	9.0	-5.9
1985	3,540,000	62,388	33,213	29,175	17.6	9.4	8.2	-7.9
1986	3,541,000	61,620	33,630	27,990	17.4	9.5	7.9	-6.2
1987	3,547,000	58,433	31,413	27,020	16.5	8.9	7.6	-12.1
1988	3,531,000	54,600	31,580	23,020	15.5	8.9	6.5	-12.4
1989	3,510,000	52,018	32,111	19,907	14.8	9.1	5.7	-6.8
1990	3,506,000	52,954	31,370	21,584	15.1	8.9	6.2	-0.5
1991	3,526,000	52,718	31,305	21,413	15.0	8.9	6.1	2.1
1992	3,555,000	51,089	30,931	20,158	14.4	8.7	5.7	-0.4
1993	3,574,000	49,304	32,148	17,156	13.8	9.0	4.8	-1.4
1994	3,586,000	48,255	30,948	17,307	13.5	8.6	4.8	-0.6
1995	3,601,000	48,530	31,494	17,036	13.5	8.7	4.7	2.2
1996	3,626,000	50,390	31,514	18,876	13.9	8.7	5.2	5.3
1997	3,664,000	52,311	31,605	20,706	14.3	8.6	5.7	4.9
1998	3,703,000	53,551	31,352	22,199	14.5	8.5	6.0	4.5
1999	3,742,000	53,354	31,683	21,671	14.3	8.5	5.8	7.0
2000	3,790,000	54,789	31,391	23,398	14.5	8.3	6.2	8.8
2001	3,847,000	57,854	30,212	27,642	15.0	7.9	7.2	11.0
2002	3,917,000	60,503	29,683	30,820	15.4	7.6	7.8	8.3
2003	3,980,000	61,529	29,074	32,455	15.5	7.3	8.2	8.1
2004	4,045,000	61,972	28,665	33,307	15.3	7.1	8.2	13.8
2005	4,134,000	61,372	28,260	33,112	14.8	6.8	8.0	15.9
2006	4,233,000	65,425	28,488	36,937	15.4	6.7	8.7	16.3
2007	4,339,000	71,389	28,117	43,272	16.3	6.4	9.9	9.2
2008	4,422,000	75,173	28,274	46,899	16.8	6.3	10.5	-2.1
2009	4,459,000	75,554	28,380	47,174	16.7	6.3	10.4	-7.9
2010	4,470,000	75,174	27,961	47,213	16.5	6.1	10.4	13.1
2011	4,575,000	74,033	28,456	45,577	16.2	6.2	10.0	-5.8
2012	4,594,000	71,674	29,186	42,488	15.6	6.4	9.2	-4.6
2013	4,615,000	68,954	29,504	39,450	15.0	6.4	8.6	-2.1
2014	4,645,000	67,295	29,252	38,043	14.6	6.4	8.2	1.1
2015	4,688,000	65,536	30,127	35,409	14.0	6.4	7.6	3.5
2016	4,740,000	63,841	30,390	33,451	13.5	6.5	7.2	3.8
2017	4,792,000	61,824	30,418	31,406	12.9	6.3	6.6	7.0
2018	4,857,000	61,016	31,116	29,900	12.6	6.4	6.2	7.1
2019	4,921,500	59,294	31,184	28,110	12.0	6.3	5.7	5.7
2020	4,977,400	55,959	31,765	24,194	11.2	6.4	4.8	2.1
2021	5,011,500	60,575	34,844	25,731	11.9	6.9	5.0	12.6
2022	5,149,139	54,483	35,804	18,679	10.5	6.9	3.6	10.0
2023	5,281,600	54,678	35,459	19,219	10.4	6.7	3.6	14.7
2024	5,380,300	54,062	35,173	18,889	10.0	6.5	3.5	14.7
2025	5,458,600							10.9

Current vital statistics

Period	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase
January—June 2024	26,836	18,368	+8,468
January—June 2025	26,949	18,914	+8,035
Difference	+113 (+0.42%)	+546 (+2.97%)	-433
Source:

Total fertility rates by region

Regions	TFR
Mid-East	1.75
Border	1.74
South-East	1.74
Midland	1.69
Northern and Western	1.66
Mid-West	1.66
Southern	1.61
West	1.60
Ireland	1.54
South-West	1.51
Eastern and Midland	1.47
Dublin	1.32

Structure of the population

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	2 272 699	2 315 553	4 588 252	100
0–4	182 076	174 253	356 329	7.77
5–9	164 037	156 733	320 770	6.99
10–14	155 076	147 415	302 491	6.59
15–19	144 262	138 757	283 019	6.17
20–24	146 636	150 595	297 231	6.48
25–29	173 714	187 408	361 122	7.87
30–34	194 774	199 171	393 945	8.59
35–39	182 237	182 024	364 261	7.94
40–44	166 330	164 482	330 812	7.21
45–49	151 516	153 669	305 185	6.65
50–54	136 737	137 649	274 386	5.98
55–59	122 121	122 401	244 522	5.33
60–64	109 869	108 917	218 786	4.77
65–69	86 298	87 340	173 638	3.78
70–74	63 476	67 714	131 190	2.86
75–79	46 631	55 405	102 036	2.22
80–84	28 423	41 690	70 113	1.53
85–89	13 591	26 296	39 887	0.87
90–94	4 155	10 722	14 877	0.32
95–99	682	2 581	3 263	0.07
100+	58	331	389	0.01
0–14	501 189	478 401	979 590	21.35
15–64	1 528 196	1 545 073	3 073 269	66.98
65+	243 314	292 079	535 393	11.67

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	2 477 803	2 528 521	5 006 324	100
0–4	155 762	149 311	305 073	6.09
5–9	173 176	164 974	338 150	6.75
10–14	182 865	174 327	357 192	7.13
15–19	164 643	158 528	323 171	6.46
20–24	156 739	151 495	308 234	6.16
25–29	146 911	145 135	292 046	5.83
30–34	155 831	163 136	318 967	6.37
35–39	181 494	197 232	378 726	7.56
40–44	195 943	204 498	400 441	8.00
45–49	179 647	183 297	362 944	7.25
50–54	160 508	161 545	322 053	6.43
55–59	145 919	150 061	295 980	5.91
60–64	130 499	133 847	264 346	5.28
65–69	112 741	115 631	228 372	4.56
70–74	94 777	98 767	193 544	3.87
75–79	67 518	73 623	141 141	2.82
80–84	40 946	50 350	91 296	1.82
85–89	20 870	29 977	50 847	1.02
90–94	8 151	15 395	23 546	0.47
95–99	2 280	5 796	8 076	0.16
100+	583	1 596	2 179	0.04
0–14	511 803	488 612	1 000 415	19.98
15–64	1 618 134	1 648 774	3 266 908	65.26
65+	347 866	391 135	739 001	14.76

Ethnic groups

Percentage of White Irish nationally and proportionally by county in Ireland in 2016

Ethnicity of Ireland over time (excluding Non-Stated)

Ethnic Group	Year	2006	2011	2016	2022	Number	%	Number
White Irish	3,645,199	87.37%	3,821,995	84.46%	3,854,226	82.2%	3,893,056	76.5%
Irish Traveller	22,369	0.54%	29,495	0.65%	30,987	0.7%	32,949	0.65%
White Roma	-	-	-	-	-	-	16,059	0.31%
Other White	289,041	6.93%	412,975	9.13%	446,727	9.5%	502,081	9.87%
Chinese	16,533	0.40%	17,832	0.39%	19,447	0.4%	26,828	0.5%
Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi	-	-	-	-	-	-	94,434	1.86%
Arab	-	-	-	-	-	-	20,115	0.4%
Other Asian	35,812	0.86%	66,858	1.48%	79,273	1.7%	44,944	0.88%
Black Irish and Black African	40,525	0.97%	58,697	1.30%	57,850	1.24%	67,547	1.32%
Other Black	3,793	0.09%	6,381	0.14%	6,789	0.14%	8,699	0.17%

File:White Irish in Ireland in 2021 population pyramid.svg|White Irish File:White Other in Ireland in 2021 population pyramid.svg|White Other File:South Asians in Ireland in 2021 population pyramid.svg|Asian: Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi File:Asian Chinese in Ireland in 2021 population pyramid.svg|Asian: Chinese File:Asian Other in Ireland in 2021 population pyramid.svg|Asian: Other File:Black Africans in Ireland in 2021 population pyramid.svg|Black: Africans File:Black Other in Ireland in 2021 population pyramid.svg|Black: Other File:None stated ethnicity in Ireland in 2021 population pyramid.svg|Not Stated

Immigration

Ireland's immigration history (and of one of a multi-ethnic society) is most of that of a country of emigration, remaining exclusively homogeneous for the vast majority of 20th century history, rather than one of net migration and increased ethnic and racial diversity.

However, from the 1990s, with the rise of the 'Celtic Tiger', the nation shifted to one of a net receiver of immigration at a rapid pace, changing from one of the most 'homogeneous countries in the EU, to a country with a rate of change almost unparalleled in speed and scale'. The Celtic Tiger economic boom saw a large expansion of the labour market, which contributed to the large increase of immigration towards the country, with the additional enlargement of the European Union in 2004 and the further 2007 enlargement contributing to increased levels of immigration.

Additionally, asylum seekers rose dramatically as well: from 364 in 1994 to 11,634 in 2002, before falling off towards the end of the decade.

Net migration rate: 6.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 13th

Nationalities

Ireland contains several immigrant communities, especially in Dublin and other cities across the country. The largest immigrant groups, with over 10,000 people, being Poles, British, Indians, Romanians, Lithuanians, Brazilians, Italians, Latvians, Spaniards, French, Croats, Americans, Chinese, Germans and Ukrainians.

CitizenshipThe 2022 Irish Census has swapped out the question regarding nationality with one regarding citizenship. Therefore the table states citizenship, as that is the data that the 2022 census has in comparison to the 2016 data.	2016	2022	Number	%
Irish	3,977,729	85%	4,112,893	81%
Dual Irish	104,784	2%	170,597	3%
Non-Irish	535,475	11%	631,785	12%
None/not stated	71,933	2%	169,604	3%

Nationality	Population (2022)
EUPoland	93,680
United Kingdom	83,347
India	45,449
EURomania	43,323
EULithuania	31,177
Brazil	27,338
EUItaly	18,319
EULatvia	18,300
EUSpain	17,953
EUFrance	13,893
EUCroatia	13,649
United States	13,412
China	13,050
EUGermany	12,390
Ukraine	11,791
EUHungary	9,336
Pakistan	9,309
EUSlovakia	8,600
EUHungary	8,503
Nigeria	8,368
EUPortugal	8,310
South Africa	8,250
Philippines	7,736
EUNetherlands	4,670
EUCzech Republic	4,530
EUBulgaria	3,994
Canada	3,528
Australia	3,481
Malaysia	3,407
Syria	3,267
Moldova	3,119

Nationality of mothers

Of the 54,062 births in 2024, there were 39,024 babies (72.2%) born to mothers of Irish nationality compared to 45,381 (78%) in 2021. There were 7% of births to mothers of EU15 to EU27 nationality, 1.6% of mothers were of UK nationality, and 2.6% were of EU14 nationality (excluding Ireland). Mothers of nationalities other than Ireland, UK and the EU accounted for 16% of total births registered. There were 0.6% of mothers where the nationality was not stated.

Migration data for Ireland, 1987-present

Year	Immigrants	Emigrants	Net Migration
1987	17.2	40.2	-23.0
1988	19.2	61.1	-41.9
1989	26.7	70.6	-43.9
1990	33.3	56.3	-22.9
1991	33.3	35.3	-2.0
1992	40.7	33.4	7.4
1993	34.7	35.1	-0.4
1994	30.1	34.8	-4.7
1995	31.2	33.1	-1.9
1996	39.2	31.2	8.0
1997	44.5	25.3	19.2
1998	46.0	28.6	17.4
1999	48.9	31.5	17.3
2000	52.6	26.6	26.0
2001	59.0	26.2	32.8
2002	66.9	25.6	41.3
2003	60.0	29.3	30.7
2004	58.5	26.5	32.0
2005	84.6	29.4	55.1
2006	107.8	36.0	71.8
2007	151.1	46.3	104.8
2008	113.5	49.2	64.3
2009	73.7	72.0	1.6
2010	41.8	69.2	-27.5
2011	53.3	80.6	-27.4
2012	57.3	83.0	-25.7
2013	62.7	81.3	-18.7
2014	66.5	75.0	-8.5
2015	75.9	70.0	5.9
2016	82.3	66.2	16.2
2017	95.3	56.1	39.2
2018	96.0	51.6	44.4
2019	97.1	53.1	44.0
2020	95.6	50.9	44.7
2021	74.1	52.3	21.8
2022	107.8	56.1	51.7
2023	141.6	64.0	77.7
2024	149.2	69.9	79.3

Country of birth

In 2022, 20% of the usually resident population in Ireland were born elsewhere, an increase of 3% since 2016. This represented 1,017,437 people, an increase of 207,031 from six years previously.

Country	1986	1991	1996	2002	2006	2011	2016	2022
EnglandWales England and Wales
PolandEU Poland
Northern Ireland
India India
RomaniaEU Romania
Brazil Brazil
LithuaniaEU Lithuania
United States United States
Nigeria Nigeria
LatviaEU Latvia
Philippines Philippines
SpainEU Spain
Scotland Scotland
China China
Moldova Moldova
South Africa South Africa
ItalyEU Italy
Ukraine Ukraine
Pakistan Pakistan
FranceEU France
GermanyEU Germany
CroatiaEU Croatia
SlovakiaEU Slovakia
Australia Australia
HungaryEU Hungary
Russia Russia
Canada Canada
PortugalEU Portugal
NetherlandsEU Netherlands
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe
Czech RepublicEU Czech Republic
Malaysia Malaysia
BulgariaEU Bulgaria
Bangladesh Bangladesh
Turkey Turkey
Syria Syria
Mexico Mexico

Support and opposition

Migrants are supported/represented by the Immigrant Council of Ireland, Irish Refugee Council, Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, Nasc and the state's Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service. They are managed by the International Protection Accommodation Service under the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) as well being policed by the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

Some minor parties have voiced opposition to immigration in the country and its capability to continue to let refugees in; that "Ireland is full". They include the National Party and the Irish Freedom Party. In May 2023, a Red C/The Business Post poll found that 75% of people thought that Ireland is taking in too many refugees.

The DCEDIY projected a shortfall of 15,000 beds for refugees in December 2022 and admitted that there was mounting pressure to house 65,000 people.

Approximately 7,400 refugee adults and children were projected to be living in 38 "direct provision" centres across 17 counties in Ireland by the end of April 2020. The government of Ireland have said that they project to end direct provision by 2024 and are looking towards alternative forms of accommodation.

Religion

Main article: Religion in the Republic of Ireland#Demographics

Ireland is a predominantly Christian country. The majority are Catholic; however, the number of people who declare themselves Catholic has been declining in recent years. Irreligion has increased since 2016 with 14% declaring 'No Religion' in 2022, meaning this is the second largest religious affiliation in Ireland. Immigration has also brought other faiths, with Islam at 1.7%, or over 83,000 people. As well as Hinduism, with 33,043 Hindus in the state.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Ireland

English is the most commonly used language, with 84% of the population calling it their mother tongue. Irish is the first official language of the state, with 11% calling it their mother tongue. Irish is the main language of the Gaeltacht regions, where 102,973 people lived as of 2022. The main sign language used is Irish Sign Language.

Frequency of Irish usage amongst Irish speakers	2002	2006	2011	2016	2022	Number	% Stated	Number	% Stated	Number	% Stated
Speaks Irish	Daily, Outside Education System			72,148	1.82	77,185	1.80	73,803	1.67	71,968	1.55
Daily, Total	339,541	9.26	525,355	13.28	596,366	13.92	632,411	14.28	625,933	13.51
Total	1,079,880	29.44	1,214,313	30.69	1,320,244	30.83	1,330,419	30.04	1,401,110	30.24
Never speaks Irish	459,657	12.53	415,479	10.50	438,782	10.25	418,420	9.45	472,887	10.21
Frequency unknown	31,357	0.85	26,998	0.68	15,411	0.35	12,581	0.28	45,385	0.98
Irish speakers	1,570,894	42.83	1,656,790	41.87	1,774,437	41.44	1,761,420	39.77	1,873,997	40.45
Non Irish-speakers	2,097,263	57.17	2,300,174	58.13	2,507,312	58.56	2,667,945	60.23	2,759,028	59.55
Total stated	3,668,157	97.79	3,956,964	97.51	4,281,749	97.97	4,429,365	96.94	4,633,025	93.11
Not stated	82,838	2.21	100,682	2.49	88,882	2.03	139,896	3.06	342,688	6.89

Education

Literacy rate; definition: age 15 and over who can read and write :total population: 99% :male: 99% :female: 99% (2003 est.) School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education); total: 19 years :male: 19 years :female: 19 years (2016)

Employment and income

For May 2025 the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was:

4.0% overall, down from a 4.1% in April 2025., and an annual basis, down from 4.4% in May 2024

3.9% for males, down from 4.0% in April 2025, and down from 4.4% in May 2024.

4.1% for females, down from 4.2% in April 2025, and down from 4.4% in May 2024.

10.9% for persons aged 15–24 years (youth unemployment rate) from a revised rate of 11.2% in April 2025.

Up to 3.1% for persons aged 25–74 years from 3.0% in April 2025.

The median household disposable income in 2024 was €58,922, an increase of €3,773 (+6.8%) from the previous year. Disposable household income is gross household income less total tax, social insurance contributions, pension contributions and inter-household transfers paid.

Notes

References

[http://www.census.ie/-in-History/Population-of-Ireland-1841-2006.151.1.aspx Census.ie – Population of Ireland 1841 – 2006] {{webarchive. link. (27 February 2015)
Kiss, Monkia. (March 2020). "Demographic outlook for the European Union 2020". European Parliamentary Research Service.
(26 August 2008). "Irish population to hit 6.7m by 2060". RTÉ News.
[http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2008/08/28/story70956.asp Irish Examiner – ''Baby boom as Irish births reach highest level since 1982''] {{webarchive. link. (8 September 2008)
"Archived copy".
Barry, Aoife. (28 June 2011). "Ireland has highest birth rate in the EU".
[https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/pme/populationandmigrationestimatesapril2017/ "Population and migration estimates april 2017".]
(27 August 2019). "Populationand migration estimates April 2019".
Max Roser. (2014). "Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries". [[Our World in Data]], [[Gapminder Foundation]].
"E3001: Enumerated Population 1926 to 2016 by Age Group, Sex and Census Year".
"Number of Births, Deaths and Marriages".
"Registrar-General for Ireland, Annual Reports (1864–1900)". Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO), Dublin.
Ó Gráda, Cormac. (1994). "Ireland, a new economic history, 1780-1939". [[Oxford University Press]].
"Vital Statistics Yearly Summary 2023".
"Births, Deaths and Marriages".
"Total fertility rate by NUTS 3 region".
"UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics".
"Volume 05 - Ethnic or Cultural Background".
(2017). "Chapter 6: Ethnicity and Irish Travellers".
"Ethnicity – CSO – Central Statistics Office".
(2023-05-30). "Migration and Diversity - CSO - Central Statistics Office".
Quinn, Martin Ruhs, Emma. (2009-09-01). "Ireland: From Rapid Immigration to Recession".
(30 May 2023). "Census of Population 2022 – Results".
"Net migration rate".
https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpsr/censusofpopulation2022-summaryresults/migrationanddiversity/ [archive]
(23 May 2025). "Vital Statistics Yearly Summary".
"Estimated Migration Data for Ireland". National Institute of Statistics Ireland.
["Census 1986 Volume 8 - Persons, males and females in each province, classified by country of birth (PDF 61KB)"](https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census1986results/volume8/C_1986_V8_T21a.pdf }}{{Cite web).
"Vision & Mission".
(16 February 2009). "Irish Refugee Council".
(12 April 2020). "Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI)".
(10 August 2021). "International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS)".
McEnroe, Juno. (18 November 2016). "National Party president wants immigrants to leave". [[Irish Examiner]].
(24 February 2021). "Refugee tribunal member sues for defamation". [[The Irish Times]].
"Red C poll: Three out of four think Ireland has taken too many refugees".
(19 November 2022). "Protest held over housing of asylum seekers in Dublin". [[RTÉ.ie]].
Malekmian, Shamim. (30 November 2022). "How the Government Created an Opening for Anti-Immigration Activists to Exploit in East Wall". [[List of newspapers in the Republic of Ireland#Dublin.
Mfaco, Bulelani. (2020-12-12). "I live in direct provision. It's a devastating system – and it has thrown away millions". The Irish Times.
Bulelani Mfaco. (2020-12-12). "I live in direct provision. It's a devastating system – and it has thrown away millions". [[The Irish Times]].
Thomas, Cónal. (26 February 2021). "State plans to end Direct Provision by 2024 and replace system with not-for-profit accommodation". [[TheJournal.ie]].
(26 October 2023). "Census 2022 Profile 5 - Diversity, Migration, Ethnicity, Irish Travellers & Religion".
[http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf Eurobarometer – ''Europeans and their languages'']
"Census 2011 Profile 9 Statistical Table".
"Irish Speakers Aged 3 Years and Over 2016".
"F8014: Irish speakers aged three years and over by sex, single year of age, level of Irish spoken and frequency of speaking Irish, 2022".
(2025-06-05). "Monthly Unemployment May 2025 - Central Statistics Office".
(2025-03-20). "Household Income Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2024 - Central Statistics Office"%20from%20the%20previous%20year.).

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

demographics-of-the-republic-of-ireland society-of-the-republic-of-ireland

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Demographics of the Republic of Ireland — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report