Natural population growth in Ireland
Ireland: Natural population growth was 0.3409 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.3409
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
146th
of 236 countries
All-time high
1.2
in 1980
All-time low
0.3409
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Natural population growth in Ireland, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 0.3409 for natural population growth in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.8% on the previous year and down 60.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, natural population growth in Ireland peaked at 1.2 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0.3409, in 2023.
Ireland ranks 146th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Natural population growth in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.9997 | — |
| 1951 | 0.867 | -13.3% |
| 1952 | 1.13 | +29.8% |
| 1953 | 1.11 | -1.4% |
| 1954 | 1.01 | -8.8% |
| 1955 | 0.8847 | -12.6% |
| 1956 | 0.9616 | +8.7% |
| 1957 | 0.9729 | +1.2% |
| 1958 | 0.9218 | -5.3% |
| 1959 | 0.9562 | +3.7% |
| 1960 | 1.04 | +8.4% |
| 1961 | 0.9004 | -13.1% |
| 1962 | 0.9838 | +9.3% |
| 1963 | 1.03 | +4.7% |
| 1964 | 1.09 | +6.2% |
| 1965 | 1.06 | -3.3% |
| 1966 | 0.9332 | -11.8% |
| 1967 | 1.02 | +9.4% |
| 1968 | 0.9551 | -6.5% |
| 1969 | 0.9994 | +4.6% |
| 1970 | 1.05 | +4.9% |
| 1971 | 1.18 | +12.9% |
| 1972 | 1.12 | -5.6% |
| 1973 | 1.12 | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 1.09 | -2.5% |
| 1975 | 1.08 | -1.3% |
| 1976 | 1.06 | -1.8% |
| 1977 | 1.09 | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 1.11 | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 1.16 | +4.5% |
| 1980 | 1.2 | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 1.15 | -4.0% |
| 1982 | 1.12 | -3.1% |
| 1983 | 0.9936 | -11.2% |
| 1984 | 0.9255 | -6.9% |
| 1985 | 0.8443 | -8.8% |
| 1986 | 0.8102 | -4.0% |
| 1987 | 0.7879 | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 0.6802 | -13.7% |
| 1989 | 0.5909 | -13.1% |
| 1990 | 0.6291 | +6.5% |
| 1991 | 0.6122 | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 0.5733 | -6.4% |
| 1993 | 0.4873 | -15.0% |
| 1994 | 0.4881 | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 0.4612 | -5.5% |
| 1996 | 0.522 | +13.2% |
| 1997 | 0.5772 | +10.6% |
| 1998 | 0.6017 | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 0.5649 | -6.1% |
| 2000 | 0.61 | +8.0% |
| 2001 | 0.7008 | +14.9% |
| 2002 | 0.7725 | +10.2% |
| 2003 | 0.8045 | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 0.8072 | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 0.7831 | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 0.8422 | +7.5% |
| 2007 | 0.9684 | +15.0% |
| 2008 | 1.05 | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 1.06 | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 1.05 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 1.01 | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 0.9467 | -6.7% |
| 2013 | 0.871 | -8.0% |
| 2014 | 0.8304 | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 0.7653 | -7.8% |
| 2016 | 0.709 | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 0.6646 | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 0.6227 | -6.3% |
| 2019 | 0.5773 | -7.3% |
| 2020 | 0.4887 | -15.3% |
| 2021 | 0.4797 | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 0.3542 | -26.2% |
| 2023 | 0.3409 | -3.8% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 0.3409 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1118, 3.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 0.3409 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is -0.0696. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.9811 | 0.867 | 1.13 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1 | 0.9004 | 1.09 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.11 | 1.05 | 1.18 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9108 | 0.5909 | 1.2 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5517 | 0.4612 | 0.6291 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8396 | 0.61 | 1.06 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8056 | 0.5773 | 1.05 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4159 | 0.3409 | 0.4887 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 143 Luxembourg 0.3464 compare
- 144 Falkland Islands 0.3463 compare
- 145 Singapore 0.341 compare
- 147 Argentina 0.3396 compare
- 148 Turks and Caicos Islands 0.3337 compare
- 149 North Korea 0.3263 compare
More population data for Ireland
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.68 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1157 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,725 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.5372 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1844 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.455 (2100)
- Population density 76.73 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 217,052 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is natural population growth in Ireland?
- Natural population growth in Ireland was 0.3409 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest natural population growth recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.2 in 1980.
- What is the lowest natural population growth recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3409 in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for natural population growth?
- Ireland ranks 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is natural population growth rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 60.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Natural population growth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).