In 2024, the population of the Republic of Ireland was approximately **** million, compared with **** million in 2023.

In 2024 the population of the Republic of Ireland was approximately 5.38 million, with approximately 2.66 million men and 2.72 million women.

Total current population for Ireland in 2025 is 5,120,867, a 0.62% increase from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Total population for Ireland in 2024 was <strong>5,089,478</strong>, a <strong>4.11% decline</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Total population for Ireland in 2023 was <strong>5,307,600</strong>, a <strong>2.75% increase</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Total population for Ireland in 2022 was <strong>5,165,700</strong>, a <strong>2.63% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

Ireland Estimated Population: Age 80 to 84 data was reported at 85.100 Person th in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 82.900 Person th for 2017. Ireland Estimated Population: Age 80 to 84 data is updated yearly, averaging 42.200 Person th from Apr 1950 (Median) to 2018, with 69 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 85.100 Person th in 2018 and a record low of 30.100 Person th in 1950. Ireland Estimated Population: Age 80 to 84 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Statistics Office of Ireland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.G001: Population: by Age.

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.

Ireland population growth rate for 2023 was 2.60%, a 0.75% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Ireland population growth rate for 2022 was <strong>1.85%</strong>, a <strong>0.9% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Ireland population growth rate for 2021 was <strong>0.95%</strong>, a <strong>0.08% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Ireland population growth rate for 2020 was <strong>1.03%</strong>, a <strong>0.34% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

Ireland Estimated Population: Male: Age 45 to 64 data was reported at 572.700 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 561.000 Person th for 2016. Ireland Estimated Population: Male: Age 45 to 64 data is updated yearly, averaging 305.100 Person th from Apr 1950 (Median) to 2017, with 68 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 572.700 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 291.300 Person th in 1950. Ireland Estimated Population: Male: Age 45 to 64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Statistics Office of Ireland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.G001: Population: by Age.

Graph and download economic data for Population for Ireland (POPTTLIEA173NUPN) from 1950 to 2010 about Ireland and population.

Ireland Estimated Population: Age 45 to 64 data was reported at 1,174.300 Person th in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,152.700 Person th for 2017. Ireland Estimated Population: Age 45 to 64 data is updated yearly, averaging 605.100 Person th from Apr 1950 (Median) to 2018, with 69 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,174.300 Person th in 2018 and a record low of 574.500 Person th in 1950. Ireland Estimated Population: Age 45 to 64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Statistics Office of Ireland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.G001: Population: by Age.

This statistic shows the median age of the population in Ireland from 1950 to 2100. The median age is the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups; that is, half the people are younger than this age and half are older. It is a single index that summarizes the age distribution of a population. In 2020, the median age of the Irish population was 37.3 years.

Ireland Estimated Population: Male: Age 80 to 84 data was reported at 36.200 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 34.900 Person th for 2016. Ireland Estimated Population: Male: Age 80 to 84 data is updated yearly, averaging 16.400 Person th from Apr 1950 (Median) to 2017, with 68 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 36.200 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 14.200 Person th in 1950. Ireland Estimated Population: Male: Age 80 to 84 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Statistics Office of Ireland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.G001: Population: by Age.

Ireland Estimated Population: Female: Age 65 and Over data was reported at 346.400 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 336.600 Person th for 2016. Ireland Estimated Population: Female: Age 65 and Over data is updated yearly, averaging 211.050 Person th from Apr 1950 (Median) to 2017, with 68 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 346.400 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 161.300 Person th in 1950. Ireland Estimated Population: Female: Age 65 and Over data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Statistics Office of Ireland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.G001: Population: by Age.

Ireland Estimated Population: Female: Age 80 to 84 data was reported at 46.600 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 45.500 Person th for 2016. Ireland Estimated Population: Female: Age 80 to 84 data is updated yearly, averaging 26.050 Person th from Apr 1950 (Median) to 2017, with 68 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 46.600 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 15.900 Person th in 1950. Ireland Estimated Population: Female: Age 80 to 84 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Statistics Office of Ireland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.G001: Population: by Age.

At the beginning of the 1840s, life expectancy from birth in Ireland was just over 38 years. However, this figure would see a dramatic decline with the beginning of the Great Famine in 1845, and dropped below 21 years in the second half of the decade (in 1849 alone, life expectancy fell to just 14 years). The famine came as a result of a Europe-wide potato blight, which had a disproportionally devastating impact on the Irish population due to the dependency on potatoes (particularly in the south and east), and the prevalence of a single variety of potato on the island that allowed the blight to spread faster than in other areas of Europe. Additionally, authorities forcefully redirected much of the country's surplus grain to the British mainland, which exacerbated the situation. Within five years, mass starvation would contribute to the deaths of over one million people on the island, while a further one million would emigrate; this also created a legacy of emigration from Ireland, which saw the population continue to fall until the mid-1900s, and the total population of the island is still well below its pre-famine level of 8.5 million people.

Following the end of the Great Famine, life expectancy would begin to gradually increase in Ireland, as post-famine reforms would see improvements in the living standards of the country’s peasantry, most notably the Land Wars, a largely successful series of strikes, boycotts and protests aimed at reform of the country's agricultural land distribution, which began in the 1870s and lasted into the 20th century. As these reforms were implemented, life expectancy in Ireland would rise to more than fifty years by the turn of the century. While this rise would slow somewhat in the 1910s, due to the large number of Irish soldiers who fought in the First World War and the Spanish Flu pandemic, as well as the period of civil unrest leading up to the island's partition in 1921, life expectancy in Ireland would rise greatly in the 20th century. In the second half of the 20th century, Ireland's healthcare system and living standards developed similarly to the rest of Western Europe, and today, it is often ranks among the top countries globally in terms of human development, GDP and quality of healthcare. With these developments, the increase in life expectancy from birth in Ireland was relatively constant in the first century of independence, and in 2020 is estimated to be 82 years.

In 2023, the population of the United Kingdom reached 68.3 million, compared with 67.6 million in 2022. The UK population has more than doubled since 1871 when just under 31.5 million lived in the UK and has grown by around 8.2 million since the start of the twenty-first century. For most of the twentieth century, the UK population steadily increased, with two noticeable drops in population occurring during World War One (1914-1918) and in World War Two (1939-1945). Demographic trends in postwar Britain After World War Two, Britain and many other countries in the Western world experienced a 'baby boom,' with a postwar peak of 1.02 million live births in 1947. Although the number of births fell between 1948 and 1955, they increased again between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s, with more than one million people born in 1964. Since 1964, however, the UK birth rate has fallen from 18.8 births per 1,000 people to a low of just 10.2 in 2020. As a result, the UK population has gotten significantly older, with the country's median age increasing from 37.9 years in 2001 to 40.7 years in 2022. What are the most populated areas of the UK? The vast majority of people in the UK live in England, which had a population of 57.7 million people in 2023. By comparison, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland had populations of 5.44 million, 3.13 million, and 1.9 million, respectively. Within England, South East England had the largest population, at over 9.38 million, followed by the UK's vast capital city of London, at 8.8 million. London is far larger than any other UK city in terms of urban agglomeration, with just four other cities; Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and Glasgow, boasting populations that exceed one million people.

Among nations of the UK, Northern Ireland had the highest number of live births per 1,000 in 2021, at 11.6, followed by England at 10.5, Wales at 9.3, and Scotland at 8.7. The crude birth has fallen for all nations of the UK when compared with 1971, while Northern Ireland has consistently had the highest number of live births per 1,000 people. Long-term birth trends After reaching a postwar peak of 18.8 births per 1,000 people, the UK's crude birth rate has declined considerably, falling to a low of just 11 births per 1,000 people in 2020. In that year, there were just 681,560 live births, compared with over one million in 1964. Additionally, the average age of mothers in the UK has been steadily increasing since the mid-1970s. In 1975, for example, the average age at which mothers gave birth was 26.4 years, compared with 30.9 in 2021. Millennials overtake Boomers as largest generation Due to the large number of births that happened in the years following the Second World War, the generation born during this time were called Baby Boomers, and until 2020 were the largest generation in the UK. Since that year, the Millennial generation, born between 1981 and 1996 have been the largest generational cohort. In 2022, there were approximately 14.48 million Millennials, 14.14 million Generation X members (born between 1965 and 1980) and around 13.8 million Baby Boomers. Generation Z, the generation immediately after Millennials, numbered approximately 12.9 million in 2022.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the majority of documented migration to the United States of American came from European countries. Between 1820 and 1957, of the approximate 41 million migrants to the US, over 34 million of these came from Europe. The most commonly documented countries of origin during this time were Germany (6.6 million), Italy (4.9 million), Ireland (4.6 million), Great Britain (4.5 million), and Russia (3.4 million). The first wave of mass migration came in the 1850s, as the Great famine crippled Ireland's population, and many in rural areas of mainland Europe struggled to adapt to industrialization, and economic opportunities attracted many in the 1870s, following the American Civil War. The 1880s saw another wave, as steam powered ships and lower fares made trans-Atlantic journeys much more affordable. The first wave of mass migration from Eastern and Southern Europe also arrived at this time, as industrialization and agricultural advancements led to high unemployment in these regions.

The majority of migrants to the United States settled in major urban centers, which allowed the expansion of industry, leading to the United States' emergence as one of the leading global economies at the turn of the twentieth century. The largest wave of migration to the United states during this period came in the first fifteen years of the 1900s. The influx of migrants from Northern and Western Europe had now been replaced by an influx from Eastern and Southern Europe (although migration from the British Isles was still quite high during this time). European migration fell to it's lowest levels in eighty years during the First World War, before fluctuating again in the interwar period, due to the Great Depression. As the twentieth century progressed, the continent with the highest levels of migration to the US gradually changed from Europe to Latin America, as economic opportunities in Western Europe improved, and the US' relationship with the Soviet Union and other Eastern, communist states became complicated.

Ireland Estimated Population: Female: Age 75 to 79 data was reported at 61.700 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 60.700 Person th for 2016. Ireland Estimated Population: Female: Age 75 to 79 data is updated yearly, averaging 41.350 Person th from Apr 1950 (Median) to 2017, with 68 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 61.700 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 32.600 Person th in 1950. Ireland Estimated Population: Female: Age 75 to 79 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Statistics Office of Ireland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.G001: Population: by Age.