Ireland's Population

Ireland's Demographics

Population growth of 64,500 in the year to April 2019

Population growth of 64,500 in the year to April 2019
Courtesy CSO ©

Population growth of 64,500 in the year to April 2019

Groups of people such as the Riata, Laigin and Cruthin originally inhabited the country of Ireland for over 9,000 years. Changes in migration patterns saw new inhabitants move in and dominate the land over the last 1,200 years. These inhabitants have included the Vikings, Normans, Welsh, Scots, English, Eastern Europeans, Africans, and South Americans. To date, Dublin is known for its diversity as it contains many immigrant communities such as Polish, Lithuanian, British, Latvian and Nigerian communities. Ireland's diversity predominantly comes from European decent. Celtic and Gaelic culture and tradition still remain strong in their influence on Irish culture.

A recent demographic study conducted by the Central Statistics office on migration and diversity in Ireland showed that Non-Irish nationals were almost evenly split by gender and that nearly half of all non-Irish nationals were at work force age (between 25 and 42). The assessment of such demographics can indicate the reasons behind migration patterns (e.g. lack of employment, war, climate change etc.) as well as provide projections on what these changes in population diversity, distribution and size can mean for the society and economy in Ireland. For further details on this study please see here.

Ireland Population Growth

Ireland Population Growth
© 2019 World Population Review

Ireland Population Growth

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Ireland's population for 2019 has been estimated at just over 4.88 million, according to the most recent projection by the United Nations. This estimate relates to both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland is currently the 124th most populated country in the world (2017 data). In 2017 Ireland ranked 122nd in the world in terms of population density. Population density is the number of people per unit of area. The latest recording for Ireland is 147 people per square mile, according to the CSO (World population review, 2019). The highest population densities can be found in Ireland's two biggest cities, Dublin and Cork. Dublin covers just 44 square miles and has a population size of 1.9 million, making the population density 43,181 people per square mile. Cork is the second largest city with a population of 399,216. For further information on Ireland's population please click here.

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