Population aged 65 years or older in Ireland
Ireland: Population aged 65 years or older was 847.5 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Population aged 65 years or older in Ireland, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 847.5 thousands for population aged 65 years or older in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 39.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population aged 65 years or older in Ireland peaked at 847.5 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 328.42 thousands, in 1970.
That places Ireland 86th out of 230 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 340.86 thousands | 328.42 thousands | 361.05 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 379.61 thousands | 365.68 thousands | 396.45 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 410.07 thousands | 399.44 thousands | 421.36 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 452.56 thousands | 423.4 thousands | 493.96 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 597.41 thousands | 510.23 thousands | 691.05 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 778.49 thousands | 714.38 thousands | 847.5 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More population data for Ireland
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.455 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 217,052 (2100)
- Population density 76.73 (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.455 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.47 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 124,730 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 1.47 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 1.47 (2024)
- Natural population growth 0.3409 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 1.6 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population aged 65 years or older in Ireland?
- Population aged 65 years or older in Ireland was 847.5 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population aged 65 years or older recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 847.5 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest population aged 65 years or older recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 328.42 thousands in 1970.
- How does Ireland rank for population aged 65 years or older?
- Ireland ranks 86th out of 230 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population aged 65 years or older rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population aged 65 years or older (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release