Ireland Population 2023 (Live)

5,070,940

Ireland continues to grow at a steady rate, albeit much slower than in the previous decade. In both the 1970s and 2000s, Ireland saw periods of rapid growth.

In the 1840s, prior to the Irish Potato Famine, the population of Ireland was as high as 6.5 million, much higher than today. As a result, the number of Irish expatriates dwarfs the resident Irish population.

Ireland is projected to continue it's growth throughout the 21st century at a moderate rate.

Ireland Population Growth

There is a massive Irish diaspora in the United States, England, Canada, and Australia with more than 5 million Canadians (15% of the population) of Irish descent. There are about 34.5 million Americans with Irish ancestry.

The Republic of Ireland has been a popular destination for immigrants for the last 50 years, particularly immigrants from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and the Czech Republic. In 2006, 10% of the population (420,000 people) were foreign nationals, while 24% of births were to mothers born outside of the country. A 2015 study showed that almost 1 in 8 people living in Ireland were born abroad.

Ireland Population Projections

Although the population of Ireland is expected to continue to grow in the years to come, it will likely do so at an increasingly slow rate, however this could only be temporary. Current projections believe that the annual rate of growth will decrease from 0.79% in 2020 down to 0.43% in 2050. Over this same time period, the population of Ireland is predicted to be 4,887,992 in 2020, 5,219,951 in 2030, 5,530,561 in 2040, and 5,801,399 by 2050.

Population Rank
Growth Rate
2023 World Percentage
Land Area
68,890
The current population of Ireland is 5,070,940 based on projections of the latest United Nations data. The UN estimates the July 1, 2023 population at 5,056,935.

Ireland Growth Rate

Ireland Population 2023 (Live)

Ireland Population Clock

Ireland Population (as of 12/1/2023)5,070,940
Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2023)5,056,935
Births per Day155
Deaths per Day92
Migrations per Day27
Net Change per Day91
Population Change Since Jan. 130,485

Components of Population Change

One birth every 9.28 minutes
One death every 15.65 minutes
One immigrant every 53.33 minutes
Net gain of one person every 15.82 minutes

Ireland Population Clock

City
Population
Dublin1,024,027
Cork190,384
Dun Laoghaire185,400
Luimneach90,054
Gaillimh70,686
Tallaght64,282
Waterford47,904
Swords36,924
Drogheda33,441
Dundalk33,428
showing: 10 rows

Ireland Area and Population Density

The island of Ireland is located in the North Atlantic and is the 3rd largest island in Europe with an area of 32,595 square miles (84,421 square kilometers) which ranks 122nd in the world in terms of size. The Republic of Ireland covers 5/6 of the island while Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, covers the rest of the island. As of 2017, the population of Ireland was 4.784 million people, leading to a population density of roughly 147 people per square mile (57 people per square kilometer) which ranks at roughly 122nd in the world in terms of population density.

Largest Cities in Ireland

Nearly two-thirds of the Irish population live in urban areas, and several significant cities reflect this. The capital and largest city of the Republic of Ireland is Dublin, which has an urban population of 1.9 million. Dublin was originally founded as part of a Viking settlement, becoming the nation's principal city after the Norman invasion. Dublin covers just 44 square miles, making the population density 43,181 people per square mile. Cork is the next largest city in Ireland with a population of 399,216. Other major cities with populations in the 100,000 range include Limerick, Galway, and Swords.

Ireland Population Density Map

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
19552,886,368-0.14%41.9095108
19602,811,067-0.53%40.81105109
19652,852,4010.29%41.41107114
19702,937,6370.59%42.64110117
19753,157,9191.46%45.84112120
19803,391,3871.44%49.23112120
19853,505,7690.67%50.89117126
19903,485,374-0.12%50.59123132
19953,579,4820.53%51.96124137
20003,768,9501.04%54.71125140
20054,121,2161.8%59.82123139
20104,524,5851.88%65.68121140
20154,665,7600.62%67.73122141
20174,771,8541.19%69.27123140
20184,834,5071.31%70.18124140
20194,896,0191.27%71.07125140
20204,946,1191.02%71.80125139
20225,023,1091.03%72.91125139
20235,056,9350.9%73.41125139
showing: 19 rows

Ireland Population by Year (Historical)

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
20235,056,9350.9%73.41125139
20245,089,4780.78%73.88125140
20255,120,8670.7%74.33125141
20305,266,8810.56%76.45125142
20355,403,3540.51%78.43125144
20405,531,1810.47%80.29125143
20455,642,4390.4%81.91123144
20505,724,6860.29%83.10124145
20555,771,9550.17%83.79123146
20605,789,9720.06%84.05123144
20655,787,445-0.01%84.01123142
20705,774,754-0.04%83.83124143
20755,764,344-0.04%83.67123146
20805,761,900-0.01%83.64121144
20855,766,4570.02%83.71121142
20905,766,0200%83.70121140
20955,751,260-0.05%83.48121138
showing: 17 rows

Ireland Population by Year (Projections)

Ireland Population Pyramid 2023

Ireland Median Age

37.8

Total

37.4

Male

38.2

Female

Ireland Population by Age

There are people over age 18 in Ireland.

Census Years

Year
Date
198613 April 1986
199121 April 1991
199628 April 1996
200228 April 2002
200623 April 2006
201128 April 2011
201623 May 2016
20212021
showing: 8 rows

Ireland Population Pyramid

The island of Ireland consists of 32 counties and two political jurisdictions: Ireland and Northern Ireland. The official name of the country is Ireland/Èire, which may be referred to as the "Republic of Ireland." The Republic of Ireland currently has a population of about 4.94 million people and is growing at a rate of about 1.13%. The entire island of Ireland, both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, have a population around 6.8 million people.

Ireland Demographics

Ireland has been inhabited for more than 9,000 years by groups like the Riata, Laigin, and Cruthin. Over the last 1,200 years, the island has been inhabited by the Vikings, Normans, Welsh, Scots, English, Eastern Europeans, Africans, and South Americans, the latter two to a lesser degree. Celtic and Gaelic culture and traditions strongly influence the Irish culture.

The diverse city of Dublin contains many immigrant communities including Polish, Lithuanian, British, Latvian and Nigerian. Most of the diversity within Ireland comes from European descent, with exactly 5% of the population identifying as non-white. Migration to Ireland is fairly common and they rank 28th in the world in terms of the amount of immigration they receive.

Ireland Religion, Economy and Politics

The largest religion in the country is Christianity, particularly Roman Catholics, which account for more than 84% of the population of the Republic of Ireland. There is a small but rapidly growing population of Muslim people due to immigration. About 4% of the Republic of Ireland has no religion, compared to 14% in Northern Ireland. There is also a small Jewish population.

The economy in Ireland has been one of the strongest in Europe in recent years with consistently rising wages and almost zero unemployment. Major industries in Ireland include high-tech, life sciences, and financial services- all of which are very lucrative.

Ireland's political system is broken into two jurisdictions which are governed separately: the sovereign state which makes up five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Generally speaking, the Irish government is a parliamentary democracy. They have a president that is elected democratically for a seven-year term, for a maximum of two terms. The Irish parliament is called the Oireachtas, which is divided into two houses: the Dáil and the Seanad Éireann. The Dáil is a 158-member legislative power, and the Seanad functions like a Senate to delay or change bills passed by the Dáil.

Ireland Population History

During the Potato Famine -between 1845 and 1851 - two million people died or were forced to emigrate from Ireland. The population of Ireland has never been able to repopulate to its pre-famine level of approximately 8 million residents.

The Republic of Ireland gained its independence from Great Britain in the early part of the 20th century. After a failed uprising in 1916, Irish nationalist parliamentarians formed their own government three years later in 1919.

A guerrilla war was undertaken by the Irish Republican Army then followed and the independent state of the Republic of Ireland was finally ratified by the British government with the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1922.

Jumping ahead, The rise in population from 2002 to 2006 showed that the annual growth rate of 2% was the highest since records began. That was ultimately responsible for the increase in numbers of 322,645 in the four years from 2002. Will Ireland be able to match pre-Famine numbers if this trend continues? Only time will tell.

The official figures from the 2011 Census showed that the growth has continued and there were 341,421 more citizens living in the Republic of Ireland in 2011 than there were in 2006.

This increase is a little inconsistent within Ireland itself, however, and while Dublin and other urban areas are enjoying sustained growth, more rural regions are actually experiencing a decline in population.

Ireland Population Rank 2023
Area (km²)
70,273
2023 Growth Rate
Capital
GDP (IMF)
$425.55
GDP (UN)
$304.82 Bn

Ireland - General Info

Sources