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 2024, there were 435,000 people aged between 40 and 44 in the Republic of Ireland, the most common age group among those provided in this year.

In 2024, the population of the Republic of Ireland was approximately 5.38 million, with approximately 1.5 million people living in County Dublin, the region with the highest population.

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.

Abstract

IPUMS-International is an effort to inventory, preserve, harmonize, and disseminate census microdata from around the world. The project has collected the world's largest archive of publicly available census samples. The data are coded and documented consistently across countries and over time to facillitate comparative research. IPUMS-International makes these data available to qualified researchers free of charge through a web dissemination system.

The IPUMS project is a collaboration of the Minnesota Population Center, National Statistical Offices, and international data archives. Major funding is provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Additional support is provided by the University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research, the Minnesota Population Center, and Sun Microsystems.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Household

UNITS IDENTIFIED: - Dwellings: No - Vacant units: No - Households: Yes - Individuals: Yes - Group quarters: Yes

UNIT DESCRIPTIONS: - Dwellings: A dwelling unit is living accommodation which is occupied or, if vacant, is intended for occupation, by one or more households. - Group quarters: Examples of non-private households are establishments or institutions. These include hotels, country clubs, guest houses, B&Bs, boarding houses, hostel, semiary, monastery or convent, hospital, nurses' home, nursing home, county home, orphanage, boarding school, garda stations, and military barracks.

Universe

All persons present in Ireland on the census night, including visitors and those in residence. Usual residents who were temporarily absent were excluded.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Sampling procedure

MICRODATA SOURCE: Central Statistics Office

SAMPLE DESIGN: A 10% random sample of the recoded household records from each county was selected. The records within each county were sorted randomly before output to the sample file.

SAMPLE UNIT: Household

SAMPLE FRACTION: 10%

SAMPLE SIZE (person records): 365,323

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

There are 2 forms to be completed by households or individuals: (1) Form A - Census Form (or Schedule); and (2) Form A(P) - Personal Form. The information from Form A is used here.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The purpose of the project was to provide machine-readable economic and social history statistics relating to the whole of Ireland for the period 1821-1971. Further information about the project is available on the QUB Centre for Data Digitisation and Analysis website.


Main Topics:

The main tables are:
Total population grouped by baronies and gender. Also includes the area of each barony (1821-1891).
Total population grouped by electoral divisions and gender. Also includes the area and valuation of each electoral division (1841-1861).
Total population grouped by poor law unions and gender. Also includes the area and valuation of each poor law unions (1841-1901).
Total population grouped by poor law unions and counties and gender. Also includes the area and valuation of each poor law unions (1841-1901).

Please note: this study does not include information on named individuals and would therefore not be useful for personal family history research.

Usually resident population by ethnic or cultural background by Local Authorities. (Census 2022 Theme 2 Table 2 )Census 2022 table 2.2 is the population usually resident in Ireland by ethnic or cultural background. Details include population by ethnicity or cultural background. Census 2022 theme 2 is Migration, Ethnicity, Religion and Foreign Languages. The country is divided into 31 administrative counties/cities. Outside Dublin, there are 23 administrative counties and four cities: Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway. There are four local authority areas in Dublin: Dublin City and the three administrative counties of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin. The Local Government Reform Act 2014 Section 9 provided for the amalgamation of the city and county councils in Limerick, Waterford, and North Tipperary and South Tipperary County Councils.Coordinate reference system: Irish Transverse Mercator (EPSG 2157). These boundaries are based on 20m generalised boundaries sourced from Tailte Éireann Open Data Portal. This dataset is provided by Tailte Éireann, Administrative Counties 2019

In 2022, Belfast was the local district that had the highest number of inhabitants in Northern Ireland, with an estimated population of 348,000, followed by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon which had approximately 220,000 people living there in this year.

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).

This feature layer was created using Census 2016 data produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and Administrative Counties national boundary data (generalised to 50m) produced by Tailte Éireann. The layer represents Census 2016 theme 11.1, population aged 5+ by means of travel to work, school or college. Attributes include a breakdown of population by means of travel to work, school or college (e.g. bicycle, car driver, on foot). Census 2016 theme 11 represents Commuting. The Census is carried out every five years by the CSO to determine an account of every person in Ireland. The results provide information on a range of themes, such as, population, housing and education. The data were sourced from the CSO. In census reports the country is divided into 29 counties/administrative counties and the five Cities which represent the local authority areas. Outside Dublin there are 26 administrative counties (North Tipperary and South Tipperary each ranks as a separate county for administrative purposes) and four Cities, i.e. Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway. In Dublin the four local authority areas are identified separately, i.e. Dublin City and the three administrative counties of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.

Population by sex and marital status by Local Authorities. (Census 2022 Theme 1 Table 2 )Census 2022 table 1.2 is the total population of Ireland by sex and marital status. Details include population by sex and marital status. Census 2022 theme 1 is population by Sex, Age and Marital status. The country is divided into 31 administrative counties/cities. Outside Dublin, there are 23 administrative counties and four cities: Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway. There are four local authority areas in Dublin: Dublin City and the three administrative counties of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin. The Local Government Reform Act 2014 Section 9 provided for the amalgamation of the city and county councils in Limerick, Waterford, and North Tipperary and South Tipperary County Councils.Coordinate reference system: Irish Transverse Mercator (EPSG 2157). These boundaries are based on 20m generalised boundaries sourced from Tailte Éireann Open Data Portal. This dataset is provided by Tailte Éireann, Administrative Counties 2019

This feature layer was created using Census 2016 data produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and Administrative Counties national boundary data (generalised to 50m) produced by Tailte Éireann. The layer represents Census 2016 theme 3.1, population aged 3+ by ability to speak Irish. Attributes include population breakdown by ability to speak Irish (e.g. yes, no, not stated). Census 2016 theme 3 represents Irish Language. The Census is carried out every five years by the CSO to determine an account of every person in Ireland. The results provide information on a range of themes, such as, population, housing and education. The data were sourced from the CSO. In census reports the country is divided into 29 counties/administrative counties and the five Cities which represent the local authority areas. Outside Dublin there are 26 administrative counties (North Tipperary and South Tipperary each ranks as a separate county for administrative purposes) and four Cities, i.e. Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway. In Dublin the four local authority areas are identified separately, i.e. Dublin City and the three administrative counties of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.

This feature layer was created using Census 2016 data produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and Administrative Counties national boundary data (generalised to 50m) produced by Tailte Éireann. The layer represents Census 2016 theme 9.1, population aged 15+ by sex and social class. Attributes include population breakdown by social class and sex (e.g. skilled manual - males, non-manual - females). Census 2016 theme 9 represents Social Class and Socio-Economic Group. The Census is carried out every five years by the CSO to determine an account of every person in Ireland. The results provide information on a range of themes, such as, population, housing and education. The data were sourced from the CSO. In census reports the country is divided into 29 counties/administrative counties and the five Cities which represent the local authority areas. Outside Dublin there are 26 administrative counties (North Tipperary and South Tipperary each ranks as a separate county for administrative purposes) and four Cities, i.e. Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway. In Dublin the four local authority areas are identified separately, i.e. Dublin City and the three administrative counties of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.

This feature layer was was created using Census 2016 data produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and Administrative Counties national boundary data (generalised to 50m) produced by Tailte Éireann. The layer represents Census 2016 theme 1.2, the total population across Ireland by sex and marital status. Attributes include population breakdown by sex and marital status (e.g. Single Males, Married Females). Census 2016 theme 1 represents population by Sex, Age and Marital status. The Census is carried out every five years by the CSO to determine an account of every person in Ireland. The results provide information on a range of themes, such as, population, housing and education. The data were sourced from the CSO. In census reports the country is divided into 29 counties/administrative counties and the five Cities which represent the local authority areas. Outside Dublin there are 26 administrative counties (North Tipperary and South Tipperary each ranks as a separate county for administrative purposes) and four Cities, i.e. Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway. In Dublin the four local authority areas are identified separately, i.e. Dublin City and the three administrative counties of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.

This feature layer was created using Census 2016 data produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and Administrative Counties national boundary data (generalised to 50m) produced by Tailte Éireann. The layer represents Census 2016 theme 10.2, population aged 15+ whose education has not ceased. Attributes include breakdown of population whose education has not ceased and sex (e.g. still at school or college - males, still at school or college - females). Census 2016 theme 10 represents Education. The Census is carried out every five years by the CSO to determine an account of every person in Ireland. The results provide information on a range of themes, such as, population, housing and education. The data were sourced from the CSO.In census reports the country is divided into 29 counties/administrative counties and the five Cities which represent the local authority areas. Outside Dublin there are 26 administrative counties (North Tipperary and South Tipperary each ranks as a separate county for administrative purposes) and four Cities, i.e. Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway. In Dublin the four local authority areas are identified separately, i.e. Dublin City and the three administrative counties of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.

This feature layer was was created using Census 2016 data produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and Administrative Counties national boundary data (generalised to 50m) produced by Tailte Éireann. The layer represents Census 2016 theme 2.1, the population usually resident in Ireland by place of birth and nationality. Attributes include population breakdown by place of birth and nationality (e.g. UK Birthplace, Poland Nationality). Census 2016 theme 2 represents Migration, Ethnicity and Religion. The Census is carried out every five years by the CSO to determine an account of every person in Ireland. The results provide information on a range of themes, such as, population, housing and education. The data were sourced from the CSO. In census reports the country is divided into 29 counties/administrative counties and the five Cities which represent the local authority areas. Outside Dublin there are 26 administrative counties (North Tipperary and South Tipperary each ranks as a separate county for administrative purposes) and four Cities, i.e. Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway. In Dublin the four local authority areas are identified separately, i.e. Dublin City and the three administrative counties of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.

Between 1821 and 1921, the entire island of Ireland was a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, after both islands were united by the Act of Union in 1800. This graph shows only the population of the six counties of Ireland that would go on to become Northern Ireland. The population was just under 1.4 million in 1821 and grew to 1.7 million in the next twenty years.

Between 1845 and 1849 the Great Famine devastated the overall population of Ireland, causing the deaths of approximately one million people, and causing a further million to emigrate. Although the famine affected the population of the west and south of Ireland much more severely than the north, the population of the six counties still fell by over 200,000 people between 1841 and 1851. The population then continued to fall, reaching it's lowest point in the 1890s where it was 1.2 million. The Northern Irish population then grows slowly until the mid to late 1900s, during which time the state of Northern Ireland was founded in 1921. The population the reaches over 1.54 million in the 1960s, before it falls again in the 1970s. This drop in population coincides with the outbreak and the most violent decade of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, which was a conflict that dominated Northern Irish daily life for decades. However, from 1981 onwards the population grows by 70,000 to 12,000 every ten years, surpassing it's pre-famine level in the 1990s.

This feature layer was created using Census 2016 data produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and Administrative Counties national boundary data (generalised to 50m) produced by Tailte Éireann. The layer represents Census 2016 theme 10.1, population aged 15+ by age education ceased. Attributes include breakdown of population by age education ceased and sex (e.g. age 15 - males, age 19 - females). Census 2016 theme 10 represents Education. The Census is carried out every five years by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) to determine an account of every person in Ireland. The results provide information on a range of themes, such as, population, housing and education. The data were sourced from the CSO. In census reports the country is divided into 29 counties/administrative counties and the five Cities which represent the local authority areas. Outside Dublin there are 26 administrative counties (North Tipperary and South Tipperary each ranks as a separate county for administrative purposes) and four Cities, i.e. Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway. In Dublin the four local authority areas are identified separately, i.e. Dublin City and the three administrative counties of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.

This feature layer was created using Census 2016 data produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and Local Electoral Area boundary data (generalised to 20m) produced by Tailte Éireann. The layer represents Census 2016 theme 8.1, population aged 15+ by principal economic status and sex. Attributes include population breakdown by economic status and sex (e.g. Student - males, retired - females). Census 2016 theme 8 represents Principal Status. The Census is carried out every five years by the CSO to determine an account of every person in Ireland. The results provide information on a range of themes, such as, population, housing and education. The data were sourced from the CSO.For the purposes of County Council and Corporation elections each county and city is divided into Local Electoral Areas (LEAs) which are constituted on the basis of Orders made under the Local Government Act, 1941. In general, LEAs are formed by aggregating Electoral Divisions. However, in a number of cases Electoral Divisions are divided between LEAs to facilitate electors. The current composition of the LEAs have been established by Statutory Instruments No’s 427-452/2008, 503-509/2008 and 311/1998.

Abstract

IPUMS-International is an effort to inventory, preserve, harmonize, and disseminate census microdata from around the world. The project has collected the world's largest archive of publicly available census samples. The data are coded and documented consistently across countries and over time to facillitate comparative research. IPUMS-International makes these data available to qualified researchers free of charge through a web dissemination system.

The IPUMS project is a collaboration of the Minnesota Population Center, National Statistical Offices, and international data archives. Major funding is provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Additional support is provided by the University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research, the Minnesota Population Center, and Sun Microsystems.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Household

UNITS IDENTIFIED: - Dwellings: No - Vacant units: No - Households: Yes - Individuals: Yes - Group quarters: Yes

UNIT DESCRIPTIONS: - Dwellings: A dwelling unit is living accommodation which is occupied or, if vacant, is intended for occupation, by one or more households. - Group quarters: Communal Establishments (CEs) or non-private households, including, hotel, boarding house, guest house, bed and breakfast, hostel, educational establishment, religious community, children's home, nursing home, hospital/nurses' home, prison, defence establishment (including ships), civilian ships, boats and barges, garda station, and holiday campsite

Universe

All persons present in Ireland on the census night, including visitors and those in residence. Usual residents who were temporarily absent were included but asked a subset of questions.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Sampling procedure

MICRODATA SOURCE: Central Statistics Office

SAMPLE DESIGN: A 10% random sample of the recoded household records from each county was selected. The records within each county were sorted randomly before output to the sample file.

SAMPLE UNIT: Household

SAMPLE FRACTION: 10%

SAMPLE SIZE (person records): 410,688

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

There are 5 forms completed by the public: a. Household Form ; b. Continuation Form; c. Listing Form ; d. Individual Form ; and d. Large Print Form. The information from the Household Form is us\ed here.