Demographics of the Republic 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]

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)

Fertility

The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman.^[11]

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

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

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.)

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 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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]

• 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

• Irish Central Statistics Office
• Historical Census Data
• Marketing Ireland