Population growth rate in Ireland
Ireland: Population growth rate was 1.2% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Population growth rate in Ireland, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth rate in Ireland is 1.2%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 45.8% on the previous year and up 95.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth rate in Ireland peaked at 3.1% in 2006 and was at its lowest, -0.6%, in 1955.
That places Ireland 102nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth rate in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.0% | — |
| 1951 | 0.7% | -26.2% |
| 1952 | -0.4% | -155.5% |
| 1953 | -0.5% | +16.4% |
| 1954 | -0.5% | +9.7% |
| 1955 | -0.6% | +16.1% |
| 1956 | -0.5% | -11.2% |
| 1957 | -0.5% | -1.4% |
| 1958 | -0.6% | +8.7% |
| 1959 | -0.5% | -11.1% |
| 1960 | -0.3% | -33.5% |
| 1961 | 0.1% | -134.8% |
| 1962 | 0.4% | +225.7% |
| 1963 | 0.4% | +20.9% |
| 1964 | 0.5% | +22.7% |
| 1965 | 0.6% | +4.4% |
| 1966 | 0.5% | -8.2% |
| 1967 | 0.6% | +18.2% |
| 1968 | 0.6% | -7.1% |
| 1969 | 0.7% | +13.4% |
| 1970 | 0.7% | +15.1% |
| 1971 | 1.4% | +84.1% |
| 1972 | 1.5% | +11.7% |
| 1973 | 1.5% | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 1.5% | -1.6% |
| 1975 | 1.5% | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 1.5% | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 1.5% | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 1.6% | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 1.2% | -23.7% |
| 1980 | 1.1% | -7.2% |
| 1981 | 0.8% | -24.9% |
| 1982 | 0.7% | -16.3% |
| 1983 | 0.6% | -19.9% |
| 1984 | 0.5% | -14.2% |
| 1985 | 0.4% | -20.1% |
| 1986 | 0.2% | -44.8% |
| 1987 | -0.3% | -239.4% |
| 1988 | -0.6% | +91.6% |
| 1989 | -0.2% | -59.9% |
| 1990 | 0.4% | -273.7% |
| 1991 | 0.8% | +89.9% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | -18.8% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | -37.5% |
| 1994 | 0.4% | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 0.7% | +84.3% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | +7.7% |
| 1997 | 1.1% | +32.2% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | +13.7% |
| 2000 | 1.4% | +20.2% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | +19.7% |
| 2002 | 1.6% | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 1.6% | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | +25.1% |
| 2005 | 2.3% | +15.3% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | +31.6% |
| 2007 | 2.7% | -11.4% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | -45.7% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | -55.7% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | -29.0% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | +31.8% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | +38.8% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | +25.0% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +14.2% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | -9.9% |
| 2020 | 0.8% | -31.7% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | +27.3% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | +113.2% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | -45.8% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 1.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 2.4× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 1.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.1%, 16.3× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth rate in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +273.7% | -0.2% | 0.4% |
| 1987 | -239.4% | 0.2% | -0.3% |
| 1962 | +225.7% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | -0.2% | -0.6% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.4% | -0.3% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.4% | 0.7% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3% | -0.6% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.9% | 0.7% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 0.8% | 2.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
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 population growth rate in Ireland?
- Population growth rate in Ireland was 1.2% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rate recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 3.1% in 2006.
- What is the lowest population growth rate recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.6% in 1955.
- How does Ireland rank for population growth rate?
- Ireland ranks 102nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rate rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 95.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 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
Annual rate at which the population is growing, expressed as a percentage.