Chart and table of Ireland population from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

The annual population growth in Ireland increased by 0.8 percentage points (+43.24 percent) in 2023. With 2.6 percent, the population growth thereby reached its highest value in the observed period. Population growth refers to the annual change in population, and is based on the balance between birth and death rates, as well as migration.Find more statistics on other topics about Ireland with key insights such as share of urban population in the total population.

The total population in Ireland was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 0.3 million people (+5.54 percent). After the tenth consecutive increasing year, the total population is estimated to reach 5.72 million people and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the total population was continuously increasing over the past years.According to the International Monetary Fund, the total population of a country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census.Find more statistics on other topics about Ireland with key insights such as the gross domestic product per capita, the average inflation rate, and the budget balance in relation to the gross domestic product.

Ireland: Population growth, percent: The latest value from 2023 is 2.6 percent, an increase from 1.85 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 1.15 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for Ireland from 1961 to 2023 is 0.99 percent. The minimum value, -0.43 percent, was reached in 1988 while the maximum of 2.89 percent was recorded in 2007.

Population growth (annual %) in Ireland was reported at 2.7099 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ireland - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for Ireland (SPPOPGROWIRL) from 1961 to 2023 about Ireland, population, and rate.

Urban population growth (annual %) in Ireland was reported at 3.1499 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ireland - Urban population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

The population of Northern Ireland was 1.92 million people in 2023, compared with 1.83 million ten years earlier in 2013. Since 1971, the population of Northern Ireland has increased by approximately 380,000 people.

Rural population growth (annual %) in Ireland was reported at 1.9167 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ireland - Rural population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

The island of Ireland is split into 32 different counties, and from 1800 until 1921 the whole island was a part of the United Kingdome of Great Britain and Ireland (although Britain had been a controlling presence on the island for considerably longer than this). In 1921 the island was split into two separate states, where the six counties with the highest population of Protestants formed part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other 26 counties became the Independent Republic of Ireland. From 1821 until 1841, the population of these 26 counties was growing steadily, until the Great Famine from 1845 to 1849 swept across the island, particularly devastating the west and south.

The famine was caused by a Europe-wide potato blight that contributed to mass starvation and death throughout the continent, although it's impact on Ireland was much harsher than anywhere else. The potato blight affected Ireland so severely as the majority of potatoes in Ireland were of a single variety which allowed the disease to spread much faster than in other countries. People in the west and south of Ireland were particularly dependent on potatoes, and these areas were affected more heavily than the north and west, where flax and cereals were the staple. As the potato blight spread, the population became increasingly reliant on dairy and grain products, however a lot of these resources were relocated by the British military to combat food shortages in Britain. Due to disproportional dependency on potatoes, and mismanagement by the British government, over one million people died and a further one million emigrated. The Great Famine lasted from just 1845 to 1849, but it's legacy caused almost a century of population decline, and to this day, the population of Ireland has never exceeded it's pre-famine levels.

The population decline continued well into the twentieth century, during which time the Republic of Ireland achieved independence from the British Empire. After centuries of fighting and rebellion against British rule, Irish nationalists finally gained some independence from Britain in 1921, establishing an Irish Republic in the 26 counties. There was a lot of conflict in Ireland in the early 1900s, through the War of Independence and Irish Civil War, however the population of the Republic began growing again from the 1960s onwards as the quality of life improved and the emigration rate declined. The population was at it's lowest from 1926 to 1971, where it remained at just under three million, but in the following fifty years the population has grown by over two million people.

In 1821, Ireland's population was just over 6.8 million people. During this time, the entire island was a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, after both islands were united by the Acts of Union in 1800. From the graph we can see that the population enjoyed steady growth between 1821 and 1841, and it rose by almost 1.4 million people in this time. However the Great Famine, which lasted from 1845 to 1849, had a devastating impact on the population, causing it to drop from 8.18 million in 1841 to 6.55 million in 1851. The Great Hunger The famine was caused by a Europe-wide potato blight that contributed to mass starvation and death throughout the continent, although it's impact on Ireland was much harsher than anywhere else. The potato blight affected Ireland so severely as the majority of potatoes in Ireland were of a single variety which allowed the disease to spread much faster than in other countries. As the potato blight spread, the population became increasingly dependent on dairy and grain products, however a lot of these resources were relocated by the British military to combat food shortages in Britain. Due to disproportional dependency on potatoes, and mismanagement by the British government, over one million people died and a further one million emigrated. The Great Famine lasted from just 1845 to 1849, but it's legacy caused almost a century of population decline, and to this day, the population of Ireland has never exceeded it's pre-famine levels. Road to recovery The population decline continued well into the twentieth century, during which time the Republic of Ireland achieved independence from the British Empire. After centuries of fighting and rebellion against British rule, Irish nationalists finally gained independence from Britain in 1921, although the six counties with the largest Protestant populations formed Northern Ireland, which is still a part of the United Kingdom today. In spite of the conflict that overshadowed Ireland for much of the twentieth century, which claimed the lives of thousands of people (particularly during the Northern Irish Troubles), and despite Ireland's high emigration rate, the population began growing again in the second half of the 1900s. The population was at it's lowest from 1926 to 1961, where it remained around 4.3 million, but in the following half-century the population grew by over two million people, reaching 6.4 million in 2011, although this number is still lower than in 1821. Gender stats The difference between the male and female populations throughout Ireland's recent history has also remained relatively low. The largest difference occurred in 1831, where there are 170,000 more women than men, although these figures do not include military personnel which would reduce the difference significantly. The gap then remains under 60,000 throughout the twentieth century.

F1005 - Components of Population Change. Published by Central Statistics Office. Available under the license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0).Components of Population Change...

Ireland IE: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 13.500 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.100 Ratio for 2015. Ireland IE: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 16.700 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 22.600 Ratio in 1972 and a record low of 13.400 Ratio in 1994. Ireland IE: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

In 2023, Ukraine had the fastest growing population in Europe. As a result of Ukrainian citizens who had fled Russia's invasion of the eastern European country in 2022 returning to the country in 2023, Ukraine's population grew by 3.68 percent compared to 2022. Excluding this special case, the European countries which saw the greatest population growth in 2023 were Luxembourg, Norway, and Ireland. Overall, Europe's population declined by 0.09 percent in 2022, with this varying by region from a 0.31 percent decline in eastern Europe to an increase of 0.33 percent in northern Europe. All of the countries which saw the largest declines in their population in 2023 were central and eastern European countries which had hosted large numbers of Ukrainian refugees in 2022. Moldova, one of Ukraine's closest neighbours, saw its population decline by 3.6 percent, while Poland's population declined by 2.2 percent, and Slovakia's by 1.8 percent.

Ireland IE: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 6.400 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6.500 Ratio for 2015. Ireland IE: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 9.000 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.300 Ratio in 1961 and a record low of 6.100 Ratio in 2010. Ireland IE: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Crude rate of total population change of Border sank by 114.29% from 2.1 % in 2012 to -0.3 % in 2013. Since the 19.01% jump in 2006, crude rate of total population change plummeted by 101.04% in 2013.

Zero net migration (natural change only) variant projection for Northern Ireland - population by five-year age groups and sex.

CD123 - Population Change and Average Annual Rates. Published by Central Statistics Office. Available under the license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0).Population Change and Average Annual Rates...

EP005 - Components of Population Change 2011 to 2016. Published by Central Statistics Office. Available under the license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0).Components of Population Change 2011 to 2016...

National and subnational mid-year population estimates for the UK and its constituent countries by administrative area, age and sex (including components of population change, median age and population density).