Demographics of the Republic of Ireland

Ireland had an estimated population of 5,281,600 as of 1 April 2023.^[1]

Demographics of Ireland
Population pyramid of Ireland in 2023
Population	5,281,600 (2023)
Density	73 per km^2
Growth rate	8.1%
Birth rate	10.5 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate	6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Life expectancy	80.19 years
• male	78 years
• female	82.6 years
Fertility rate	1.70 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate	3.85 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate	0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Age structure
0–14 years	19.98%
15–64 years	65.26%
65 and over	14.76%
Sex ratio
Total	0.99 male/female
At birth	1.057 male/female
Under 15	1.07 male/female
15–64 years	1.00 male/female
65 and over	0.81 male/female
Nationality
Nationality	Irish
Major ethnic	Irish 76.5%
Minor ethnic	Other White 10.3%, Asian: 3.7%, Black: 1.5%, Irish Travellers 0.7%, Other 1.3%, Not stated 6.7% (2022)
Language
Official	Irish, English
Spoken	Irish sign language, Shelta, Ulster Scots

Demographic history

Further information: Historical population of Ireland

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.^[2]

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 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^[3] 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.^[4] The Republic has also been experiencing a baby boom, with increasing birth rates and overall fertility rates.^[5] 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.^[6] 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.^[7]

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1841	6,528,799	—
1851	5,111,557	−2.42%
1861	4,402,111	−1.48%
1871	4,053,187	−0.82%
1881	3,870,020	−0.46%
1891	3,468,694	−1.09%
1901	3,221,823	−0.74%
1911	3,139,688	−0.26%
1926	2,971,992	−0.37%
1936	2,968,420	−0.01%
1946	2,955,107	−0.04%
1951	2,960,593	+0.04%
1961	2,818,341	−0.49%
1971	2,978,248	+0.55%
1981	3,443,405	+1.46%
1991	3,525,719	+0.24%
2002	3,917,203	+0.96%
2011	4,588,252	+1.77%
2022	5,149,139	+1.05%
Source: CSO^[8] 2019^[9]

Population

The population of Ireland was 5,123,536 people in 2022. Demographic statistics as of 2019.^[10]

• 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)

 

A graph of the populations of the island of Ireland and Europe^{[clarification needed]} from 1750 to the present^{[citation needed]} 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.^[11]

Year	1850	1851	1852	1853	1854	1855	1856	1857	1858	1859	1860^[11]
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^[11]
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^[11]
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^[11]
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^[11]
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^[12]

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

Vital statistics for Ireland since 1900^[13]

	Population on 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)	Total fertility rate^[fn 1]^[11]
1900	3,231,000	70,435			21.8				3.04
1901	3,234,000	70,194			21.7				2.92
1902	3,205,000	71,156			22.2				3.08
1903	3,191,000	70,541			22.1				3.09
1904	3,169,000	72,261			22.8				3.16
1905	3,160,000	71,427			22.6				3.13
1906	3,164,000	72,147			22.8				3.15
1907	3,145,000	70,773			22.5				3.11
1908	3,147,000	71,439			22.7				3.12
1909	3,135,000	72,119			23.0				3.14
1910	3,132,000	71,744			22.9				3.12
1911	3,129,000	71,351			22.8				3.07
1912	3,116,000	70,734	50,489	20,245	22.7	16.2	6.5	-9.7	3.10
1913	3,106,000	70,214	52,184	18,030	22.6	16.8	5.8	-8.4	3.09
1914	3,098,000	69,102	49,674	19,428	22.3	16.0	6.3	-16.0	3.05
1915	3,068,000	67,501	53,713	13,788	22.0	17.5	4.5	-3.5	2.99
1916	3,071,000	64,814	50,627	14,187	21.1	16.5	4.6	-4.6	2.87
1917	3,071,000	61,429	51,713	9,716	20.0	16.8	3.2	-3.9	2.71
1918	3,069,000	61,092	53,682	7,410	19.9	17.5	2.4	-5.3	2.73
1919	3,060,000	61,829	55,776	6,044	19.9	18.2	1.7	12.0	2.75
1920	3,102,000	67,015	45,521	21,494	21.6	14.7	6.9	-8.8	3.20
1921	3,096,000	61,010	44,537	16,473	19.7	14.4	5.3	-13.7	2.79
1922	3,070,000	58,849	44,547	14,302	18.5	14.5	4.0	-22.2	2.61
1923	3,014,000	62,417	42,217	19,473	20.5	14.0	6.5	-9.5	2.74
1924	3,005,000	63,402	45,180	18,222	21.1	15.0	6.1	-12.8	2.83
1925	2,985,000	62,069	43,650	18,419	20.8	14.6	6.2	-10.9	2.79
1926	2,971,000	61,176	41,740	19,436	20.6	14.0	6.5	-11.2	2.76
1927	2,957,000	60,054	43,677	16,377	20.3	14.8	5.5	-9.9	2.72
1928	2,944,000	59,176	41,792	17,384	20.1	14.2	5.9	-8.3	2.69
1929	2,937,000	58,280	42,991	15,289	19.8	14.6	5.2	-8.6	2.66
1930	2,927,000	58,353	41,702	16,651	19.9	14.2	5.7	-3.7	2.54
1931	2,933,000	57,086	42,947	14,139	19.5	14.6	4.8	0.7	2.49
1932	2,949,000	56,240	42,984	13,256	19.1	14.6	4.5	-0.1	2.43
1933	2,962,000	57,364	40,539	16,825	19.4	13.7	5.7	-2.7	2.47
1934	2,971,000	57,897	39,083	18,814	19.5	13.2	6.3	-6.3	2.49
1935	2,971,000	58,266	41,543	16,723	19.6	14.0	5.6	-6.9	2.50
1936	2,967,000	58,115	42,586	15,529	19.6	14.4	5.2	-11.6	2.50
1937	2,948,000	56,488	45,086	11,402	19.2	15.3	3.9	-7.6	2.45
1938	2,937,000	56,925	40,041	16,884	19.4	13.6	5.7	-6.7	2.47
1939	2,934,000	56,070	41,717	14,353	19.1	14.2	4.9	3.3	2.43
1940	2,958,000	56,594	41,885	14,709	19.1	14.2	5.0	6.8	2.43
1941	2,993,000	56,780	43,797	12,983	19.0	14.6	4.3	-14.3	2.42
1942	2,963,000	66,117	41,640	24,477	22.3	14.1	8.3	-14.0	2.85
1943	2,946,000	64,375	43,494	20,881	21.9	14.8	7.1	-7.8	2.80
1944	2,944,000	65,425	45,128	20,297	22.2	15.3	6.9	-4.2	2.84
1945	2,952,000	66,861	42,762	24,099	22.6	14.5	8.2	-6.5	2.90
1946	2,957,000	67,922	41,457	26,465	23.0	14.0	8.9	-3.2	2.94
1947	2,974,000	68,978	44,061	24,917	23.2	14.8	8.4	-4.7	2.98
1948	2,985,000	65,930	36,357	29,573	22.1	12.2	9.9	-11.2	2.80
1949	2,981,000	64,153	38,062	26,091	21.5	12.8	8.8	-12.8	2.75
1950	2,969,000	63,565	37,741	25,824	21.4	12.7	8.7	-11.2	2.74
1951	2,961,000	62,878	42,382	20,496	21.2	14.3	6.9	-9.6	2.69
1952	2,953,000	64,631	35,105	29,526	21.9	11.9	10.0	-11.4	2.97
1953	2,949,000	62,558	34,591	27,967	21.2	11.7	9.5	-12.2	2.95
1954	2,941,000	62,534	35,535	26,999	21.3	12.1	9.2	-16.0	3.18
1955	2,921,000	61,622	36,761	24,861	21.1	12.6	8.5	-16.4	3.28
1956	2,898,000	60,740	33,910	26,830	21.0	11.7	9.3	-13.8	3.41
1957	2,885,000	61,242	34,311	26,931	21.2	11.9	9.3	-20.4	3.52
1958	2,853,000	59,510	34,248	25,262	20.9	12.0	8.9	-11.4	3.43
1959	2,846,000	60,188	34,243	25,945	21.1	12.0	9.1	-14.0	3.63
1960	2,832,000	60,735	32,660	28,075	21.4	11.5	9.9	-14.8	3.78
1961	2,818,000	59,825	34,763	25,062	21.2	12.3	8.9	-4.6	3.78
1962	2,830,000	61,782	33,838	27,944	21.8	12.0	9.9	-2.8	3.92
1963	2,850,000	63,246	33,795	29,451	22.2	11.9	10.3	-5.4	4.01
1964	2,864,000	64,072	32,630	31,442	22.4	11.4	11.0	-6.8	4.07
1965	2,876,000	63,525	33,022	30,503	22.1	11.5	10.6	-7.8	4.04
1966	2,884,000	62,215	35,113	27,102	21.6	12.2	9.4	-3.9	3.95
1967	2,900,000	61,307	31,400	29,907	21.1	10.8	10.3	-5.8	3.84
1968	2,913,000	61,004	33,157	27,847	20.9	11.4	9.6	-5.1	3.77
1969	2,926,000	62,912	33,734	29,178	21.5	11.5	10.0	-1.8	3.83
1970	2,950,000	64,382	33,686	30,696	21.8	11.4	10.4	-0,9	3.85
1971	2,978,000	67,551	31,890	35,661	22.7	10.7	3.4	12.0	3.97
1972	3,024,000	68,527	34,381	34,146	22.7	11.4	11.3	4.9	3.93
1973	3,073,000	68,713	34,192	34,521	22.4	11.1	11.2	5.4	3.78
1974	3,124,000	68,907	34,921	33,986	22.1	11.2	10.9	6.1	3.64
1975	3,177,000	67,178	33,173	34,005	21.1	10.4	10.7	5.4	3.43
1976	3,228,000	67,718	34,043	33,675	21.0	10.5	10.4	3.2	3.35
1977	3,272,000	68,892	33,632	35,260	21.1	10.3	10.8	2.0	3.31
1978	3,314,000	70,299	33,794	36,505	21.2	10.2	11.0	5.3	3.27
1979	3,368,000	72,539	33,771	38,768	21.5	10.0	11.5	-1.7	3.26
1980	3,401,000	74,064	33,472	40,592	21.8	9.8	11.9	0.4	3.25
1981	3,443,000	72,158	32,929	39,229	21.0	9.6	11.4	-0.7	3.10
1982	3,480,000	70,843	32,457	38,386	20.4	9.3	11.0	-4.1	2.98
1983	3,504,000	67,117	32,076	35,041	19.2	9.2	10.0	-2.9	2.76
1984	3,529,000	64,062	32,154	31,908	18.2	9.1	9.0	-5.9	2.57
1985	3,540,000	62,388	33,213	29,175	17.6	9.4	8.2	-7.9	2.48
1986	3,541,000	61,620	33,630	27,990	17.4	9.5	7.9	-6.2	2.44
1987	3,547,000	58,433	31,413	27,020	16.5	8.9	7.6	-12.1	2.31
1988	3,531,000	54,600	31,580	23,020	15.5	8.9	6.5	-12.4	2.17
1989	3,510,000	52,018	32,111	19,907	14.8	9.1	5.7	-6.8	2.08
1990	3,506,000	52,954	31,370	21,584	15.1	8.9	6.2	-0.5	2.12
1991	3,526,000	52,718	31,305	21,413	15.0	8.9	6.1	2.1	2.09
1992	3,555,000	51,089	30,931	20,158	14.4	8.7	5.7	-0.4	1.99
1993	3,574,000	49,304	32,148	17,156	13.8	9.0	4.8	-1.4	1.91
1994	3,586,000	48,255	30,948	17,307	13.5	8.6	4.8	-0.6	1.85
1995	3,601,000	48,530	31,494	17,036	13.5	8.7	4.7	2.2	1.86
1996	3,626,000	50,390	31,514	18,876	13.9	8.7	5.2	5.3	1.89
1997	3,664,000	52,311	31,605	20,706	14.3	8.6	5.7	4.9	1.93
1998	3,703,000	53,551	31,352	22,199	14.5	8.5	6.0	4.5	1.95
1999	3,742,000	53,354	31,683	21,671	14.3	8.5	5.8	7.0	1.90
2000	3,790,000	54,789	31,391	23,398	14.5	8.3	6.2	8.8	1.89
2001	3,847,000	57,854	30,212	27,642	15.0	7.9	7.2	11.0	1.96
2002	3,917,000	60,503	29,683	30,820	15.4	7.6	7.8	8.3	1.97
2003	3,980,000	61,529	29,074	32,455	15.5	7.3	8.2	8.1	1.99
2004	4,045,000	61,972	28,665	33,307	15.3	7.1	8.2	13.8	1.96
2005	4,134,000	61,372	28,260	33,112	14.8	6.8	8.0	15.9	1.88
2006	4,233,000	65,425	28,488	36,937	15.4	6.7	8.7	16.3	1.93
2007	4,339,000	71,389	28,117	43,272	16.3	6.4	9.9	9.2	2.04
2008	4,422,000	75,173	28,274	46,899	16.8	6.3	10.5	-2.1	2.09
2009	4,459,000	75,554	28,380	47,174	16.7	6.3	10.4	-7.9	2.10
2010	4,470,000	75,174	27,961	47,213	16.5	6.1	10.4	13.1	2.07
2011	4,575,000	74,033	28,456	45,577	16.2	6.2	10.0	-5.8	2.03
2012	4,594,000	71,674	29,186	42,488	15.6	6.4	9.2	-4.6	1.98
2013	4,615,000	68,954	29,504	39,450	15.0	6.4	8.6	-2.1	1.93
2014	4,645,000	67,295	29,252	38,043	14.6	6.4	8.2	1.1	1.89
2015	4,688,000	65,536	30,127	35,409	14.0	6.4	7.6	3.5	1.86
2016	4,740,000	63,841	30,390	33,451	13.5	6.5	7.2	3.8	1.82
2017	4,792,000	61,824	30,418	31,406	12.9	6.3	6.6	7.0	1.77
2018	4,857,000	61,016	31,116	29,900	12.6	6.4	6.2	7.1	1.75
2019	4,921,500	59,294	31,184	28,110	12.0	6.3	5.7	5.7	1.72
2020	4,977,400	55,959	31,765	24,194	11.2	6.4	4.8	2.1	1.63
2021	5,011,500	58,443	33,055	25,388	11.7	6.6	5.1	12.6	1.71
2022c	5,149,139	57,540	35,477	22,063	11.3	7.0	4.3	10.0	1.70
2023	5,281,600	55,500	35,500	20,000	10.5	6.7	3.8	14.7	1.66

c = Census results.

Current vital statistics

^[14]

Period	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase
January – September 2022	44,671	27,328	+17,343
January – September 2023	41,263	27,273	+13,990
Difference	-3,408 (-7.63%)	-55 (-0.20%)	-3,353

Structure of the population

Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 10.IV.2011): ^[15]

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
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
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

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.I.2021) (Data refer to usual resident population.): ^[15]

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
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
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

Ethnic Group	Year
	2006^[16]		2011^[17]		2016^[17]^[18]		2022^[19]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
White: Total	3,956,609	94.84%	4,264,465	94.24%	4,331,940	92.37%	4,444,145	87.4%
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%
Asian: Total	52,345	1.25%	84,690	1.87%	98,720	2.10%	186,321	3.7%
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: Total	44,318	1.06%	65,078	1.44%	64,639	1.38%	76,245	1.5%
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%
Other including Mixed	-	-	-	-	-	-	64,992	1.28%
Not Stated	118,741	2.85%	111,048	2.45%	194,622	3.98%	313,176	6.16%
Total:	4,172,013	100%	4,525,281	100%	4,689,921	100%	5,084,879	100%

• Population pyramids of ethnic groups within Ireland in 2022
•  
  White Irish
•  
  White Other
•  
  Asian: Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi
•  
  Asian: Chinese
•  
  Asian: Other
•  
  Black: Africans
•  
  Black: Other
•  
  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,^[20][21] 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'.^[2] 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.^[20] The Irish Government amended legislation in 2023 with the intention of streamlining the naturalisation process.^[22][23]

• Net migration rate: 6.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)^[24]
• 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.

Citizenship^[fn 2]	2016^[19]		2022^[19]
	Number	%	Number	%
Total Irish	4,082,513	87%	4,283,490	84%
Irish	3,977,729	85%	4,112,893	81%
Dual Irish	104,784	2%	170,597	3%
None/Other	607,408	13%	801,389	15%
Non-Irish	535,475	11%	631,785	12%
None/not stated	71,933	2%	169,604	3%
Total	4,689,921	100%	5,084,879	100%

Persons usually resident, by nationality^{[fn 3]}

Nationality	Population (2022)^[25]
Poland	93,680
United Kingdom	83,347
India	45,449
Romania	43,323
Lithuania	31,177
Brazil	27,338
Italy	18,319
Latvia	18,300
Spain	17,953
France	13,893
Croatia	13,649
United States	13,412
China	13,050
Germany	12,390
Ukraine	11,791
Hungary	9,336
Pakistan	9,309
Slovakia	8,600
Hungary	8,503
Nigeria	8,368
Portugal	8,310
South Africa	8,250
Philippines	7,736
Netherlands	4,670
Czech Republic	4,530
Bulgaria	3,994
Canada	3,528
Australia	3,481
Malaysia	3,407
Syria	3,267
Moldova	3,119

Nationality of mothers

Of the 57,540 births in 2022, there were 43,651 babies (76%) born to mothers of Irish nationality compared to 45,381 (78%) in 2021. There were 8.3% of births to mothers of EU15 to EU27 nationality, 1.9% of mothers were of UK nationality, and 2.3% were of EU14 nationality (excluding Ireland). Mothers of nationalities other than Ireland, UK and the EU accounted for 12% of total births registered. There were 0.01% of mothers where the nationality was not stated.^[26]

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.

Persons usually resident, by country of birth^[27]

Country	1986	1991	1996	2002	2006	2011	2016	2022
England and Wales	128,668	126,487	139,330	182,624	200,488	212,296	203,188	210,434
Poland	−	−	−	2,167	62,495	115,193	115,161	106,142
Northern Ireland	36,538	35,986	39,567	49,928	49,171	58,470	57,389	61,750
India	−	−	−	3,402	9,192	17,856	20,969	56,624
Romania	−	−	−	5,838	8,492	17,995	28,702	42,460
Brazil	−	−	−	1,232	4,666	9,298	15,796	39,556
Lithuania	−	−	−	2,120	24,611	34,847	33,344	34,242
United States	15,350	14,533	15,619	21,541	24,643	27,762	28,650	34,236
Nigeria	−	−	−	9,225	16,327	19,780	16,569	20,559
Latvia	−	−	−	2,281	13,854	19,989	18,991	20,330
Philippines	−	−	−	4,086	9,427	13,833	14,725	19,846
Spain	1,113	1,801	2,104	4,632	6,122	7,003	11,809	18,356
Scotland	12,586	11,378	11,751	15,963	16,488	17,871	16,644	16,869
Moldova	−	−	−	1,032	2,233	3,421	6,472	16,155
China	−	−	−	5,669	11,022	11,458	11,262	16,425
South Africa	−	−	−	6,260	7,576	8,116	8,085	15,886
Italy	1,314	1,507	1,844	3,705	5,705	7,146	10,913	15,689
Ukraine	−	−	−	1,485	3,367	4,123	4,624	15,678
Pakistan	−	−	−	3,391	5,757	8,329	12,891	15,185
France	2,460	4,512	3,593	6,794	9,145	10,081	11,924	14,821
Germany	3,853	5,792	6,343	8,770	11,544	12,980	12,964	14,789
Croatia	−	−	−	−	−	980	5,202	12,743
Slovakia	−	−	−	−	8,129	9,537	9,443	10,695
Australia	−	−	−	6,107	6,478	5,964	6,748	9,947
Hungary	−	−	−	3,285	8,129	7,413	8,648	8,634
Russia	−	−	−	2,556	4,511	5,936	6,414	7,900
Canada	−	−	−	4,081	4,492	4,809	5,314	7,122
Portugal	124	147	192	590	1,496	2,246	3,866	5,987
Netherlands	1,888	1,985	2,490	3,512	4,211	4,499	4,729	5,376
Zimbabwe	−	−	−	1,462	2,230	2,790	2,811	5,246
Czech Republic	−	−	−	−	5,230	5,494	4,936	5,092
Malaysia	−	−	−	2,195	3,340	3,782	4,016	4,864
Bulgaria	−	−	−	−	−	1,783	2,911	4,585
Bangladesh	−	−	−	−	1,924	2,920	3,410	4,388
Turkey	−	−	−	−	−	1,301	1,607	4,086
Syria	−	−	−	−	−	308	920	3,922
Egypt	−	−	−	−	−	1,437	1,866	3,452
Mexico	−	−	−	−	−	889	1,476	3,364

Support and accommodation

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.^[28][29][30] 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.^[31] 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.^[32][33] 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.^[34][35]

Approximately 7,400 refugee adults and children^[36] were projected to be living in 38 "direct provision" centres across 17 counties in Ireland by the end of April 2020.^[37] The government of Ireland have said that they project to end direct provision by 2024^[38] and are looking towards alternative forms of accommodation.

Religion

Main article: Religion in the Republic of Ireland § Demographics

Religions in Ireland (2022)^[39]

  Catholicism (69.1%)

  Protestantantism (4.6%)

  Eastern Orthodoxy (2.0%)

  Hinduism (0.6%)

  Islam (1.6%)

  No Religion or atheist (14.5%)

  Not stated (6.7%)

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, an increase of over 250% from 2016.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Ireland

English is the most commonly used language, with 84%^[40] of the population calling it their mother tongue. Irish is the first official language of the state, with 11%^[40] 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.

Languages in Ireland
Language			Percent
English			84%
Irish			11%
Irish and English (bilingual)			1%
others			3%

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 November 2022 the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was:

Unchanged at 4.3% for males from October 2022, and down from 5.3% in November 2021.

Unchanged at 4.6% for females from October 2022, and down from 5.2% in November 2021.

Unchanged at 12.1% for persons aged 15–24 years (youth unemployment rate) from a revised rate of 12.1% in October 2022.

Down to 3.3% for persons aged 25–74 years from 3.4% in October 2022.^[41]

The median household disposable income in 2020 was €46,471, an increase of €2,556 (+5.8%) from the previous year. Disposable household income is gross household income less total tax, social insurance contributions, pension contributions and inter-household transfers paid.^[42]

See also

• Demographics of Northern Ireland
• 2011 census of Ireland
• 2016 census of Ireland
• Historical population of Ireland
• Irish diaspora
• Stamp 4

Groups:

• Americans in Ireland
• Brazilians in Ireland
• Black people in Ireland
• Chinese people in Ireland
• Lithuanians in Ireland
• Polish minority in Ireland
• Romani people in Ireland
• South Asians in Ireland
• Turks in Ireland

Notes

1. In fertility rates, 2.1 and above is a stable population and have been marked blue, 2 and below leads to an aging population and a reducing population.
2. The 2022 Irish Census has swapped out the question regarding nationality with one regarding citizenship. Therefore the table states citizienship, as that is the data that the 2022 census has in comparison to the 2016 data.
3. These statistics only show non-Irish citizens of the below countries that do not also have Irish citizenship. Individuals which have acquired Irish nationality are not counted under their nation's figures.

References

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2. Census.ie – Population of Ireland 1841 – 2006 27 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine
3. Kiss, Monkia (March 2020). Demographic outlook for the European Union 2020 (PDF). European Parliamentary Research Service (Report).
4. "Irish population to hit 6.7m by 2060". RTÉ News. 26 August 2008 – via www.rte.ie.
5. Irish Examiner – Baby boom as Irish births reach highest level since 1982 8 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
6. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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9. "Populationand migration estimates April 2019". 27 August 2019.
10. "Ireland Population 2019", World Population Review
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13. "Number of Births, Deaths and Marriages". Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
14. "Births, Deaths and Marriages". Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
15. "UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics". unstats.un.org. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
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18. "Ethnicity – CSO – Central Statistics Office". CSO. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
19. "Migration and Diversity - CSO - Central Statistics Office". CSO. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
20. Quinn, Martin Ruhs, Emma (1 September 2009). "Ireland: From Rapid Immigration to Recession". migrationpolicy.org. Retrieved 26 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
21. "Census of Population 2022 – Results". CSO. 30 May 2023.
22. "Immigration Action Plan 2023". mhc.ie. Mason Hayes & Curran. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
23. "Immigration, Citizenship and Naturalisation Law Updates". mhc.ie. Mason Hayes & Curran. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
24. "Net migration rate". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
25. https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpsr/censusofpopulation2022-summaryresults/migrationanddiversity/ [archive]
26. "Vital Statistics Yearly Summary". 26 May 2023.
27. "Census 1986 Volume 8 - Persons, males and females in each province, classified by country of birth (PDF 61KB)" (PDF)."Census 1991 Volume 8 - Persons, males and females in each Province classified by country of birth (PDF 27KB)" (PDF)."Census 1996 VADR21 - Population Usually Resident"."Census 2002 - BDR21 - 2002 Population Usually Resident and Present in the State"."Census 2006 - C0429 - Population Usually Resident and Present in their Usual Residence on Census Night"."Census 2022 - FY016 - Population Usually Resident and Present in the State". Retrieved 30 September 2023.
28. "Vision & Mission". Immigrant Council of Ireland. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
29. "Irish Refugee Council". activelink. 16 February 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
30. "Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI)". Irish Refugee Council. 12 April 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
31. "International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS)". gov.ie. 10 August 2021.
32. McEnroe, Juno (18 November 2016). "National Party president wants immigrants to leave". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
33. Gallagher, Conor; Lally, Conor (24 February 2021). "Refugee tribunal member sues for defamation". The Irish Times. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
34. "Protest held over housing of asylum seekers in Dublin". RTÉ.ie. 19 November 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
35. Malekmian, Shamim (30 November 2022). "How the Government Created an Opening for Anti-Immigration Activists to Exploit in East Wall". Dublin Inquirer. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
36. Mfaco, Bulelani (12 December 2020). "I live in direct provision. It's a devastating system – and it has thrown away millions". The Irish Times. from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
37. Bulelani Mfaco (12 December 2020), "I live in direct provision. It's a devastating system – and it has thrown away millions", The Irish Times, retrieved 12 December 2020
38. Thomas, Cónal (26 February 2021). "State plans to end Direct Provision by 2024 and replace system with not-for-profit accommodation". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
39. "Census 2022 Profile 5 - Diversity, Migration, Ethnicity, Irish Travellers & Religion". Central Statistics Office. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
40. Eurobarometer – Europeans and their languages
41. "Monthly Unemployment November 2022 - CSO - Central Statistics Office". 30 November 2022.
42. "Income - CSO - Central Statistics Office". 6 May 2022.

External links

• Irish Central Statistics Office
• Historical Census Data