Natural population growth rate in Ireland
Ireland: Natural population growth rate was 0.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.3%
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
146th
of 236 countries
All-time high
1.2%
in 1980
All-time low
0.3%
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Natural population growth rate in Ireland, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 0.3% for natural population growth rate 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 rate in Ireland peaked at 1.2% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, 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 rate in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.0% | — |
| 1951 | 0.9% | -13.3% |
| 1952 | 1.1% | +29.8% |
| 1953 | 1.1% | -1.4% |
| 1954 | 1.0% | -8.8% |
| 1955 | 0.9% | -12.6% |
| 1956 | 1.0% | +8.7% |
| 1957 | 1.0% | +1.2% |
| 1958 | 0.9% | -5.3% |
| 1959 | 1.0% | +3.7% |
| 1960 | 1.0% | +8.4% |
| 1961 | 0.9% | -13.1% |
| 1962 | 1.0% | +9.3% |
| 1963 | 1.0% | +4.7% |
| 1964 | 1.1% | +6.2% |
| 1965 | 1.1% | -3.3% |
| 1966 | 0.9% | -11.8% |
| 1967 | 1.0% | +9.4% |
| 1968 | 1.0% | -6.5% |
| 1969 | 1.0% | +4.6% |
| 1970 | 1.0% | +4.9% |
| 1971 | 1.2% | +12.9% |
| 1972 | 1.1% | -5.6% |
| 1973 | 1.1% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 1.1% | -2.5% |
| 1975 | 1.1% | -1.3% |
| 1976 | 1.1% | -1.8% |
| 1977 | 1.1% | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 1.1% | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 1.2% | +4.5% |
| 1980 | 1.2% | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 1.2% | -4.0% |
| 1982 | 1.1% | -3.1% |
| 1983 | 1.0% | -11.2% |
| 1984 | 0.9% | -6.9% |
| 1985 | 0.8% | -8.8% |
| 1986 | 0.8% | -4.0% |
| 1987 | 0.8% | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 0.7% | -13.7% |
| 1989 | 0.6% | -13.1% |
| 1990 | 0.6% | +6.5% |
| 1991 | 0.6% | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | -6.4% |
| 1993 | 0.5% | -15.0% |
| 1994 | 0.5% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 0.5% | -5.5% |
| 1996 | 0.5% | +13.2% |
| 1997 | 0.6% | +10.6% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -6.1% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | +8.0% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | +14.9% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | +10.2% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | +7.5% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +15.0% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -6.7% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -8.0% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -7.8% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -6.3% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -7.3% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -15.3% |
| 2021 | 0.5% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 0.4% | -26.2% |
| 2023 | 0.3% | -3.8% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 0.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1%, 3.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 0.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is -0.1%. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 143 Luxembourg 0.3% compare
- 144 Falkland Islands 0.3% compare
- 145 Singapore 0.3% compare
- 147 Argentina 0.3% compare
- 148 Turks and Caicos Islands 0.3% compare
- 149 North Korea 0.3% compare
More population data for Ireland
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1157 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 217,052 people (2100)
- Population density 76.73 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1844 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.5372 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is natural population growth rate in Ireland?
- Natural population growth rate in Ireland was 0.3% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest natural population growth rate recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 1980.
- What is the lowest natural population growth rate recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for natural population growth rate?
- Ireland ranks 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is natural population growth rate 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 UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Natural population growth rate. 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).
About this data
Births minus deaths, as a share of the population. This is the part of population change that comes only from births and deaths, ignoring migration.