Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Ireland
Ireland: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 2.25 million people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Ireland, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Ireland is 2.25 million people, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Ireland peaked at 2.25 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.35 million people, in 1950.
Ireland ranks 97th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Ireland, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.35 million people | — |
| 1955 | 1.36 million people | +0.6% |
| 1960 | 1.37 million people | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 1.40 million people | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 1.43 million people | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 1.50 million people | +4.4% |
| 1980 | 1.60 million people | +6.7% |
| 1985 | 1.65 million people | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 1.64 million people | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 1.69 million people | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 1.77 million people | +4.8% |
| 2005 | 1.93 million people | +9.3% |
| 2010 | 2.10 million people | +8.8% |
| 2015 | 2.15 million people | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 2.25 million people | +4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.35 million people | 1.35 million people | 1.36 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 1.38 million people | 1.37 million people | 1.40 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 1.46 million people | 1.43 million people | 1.50 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.62 million people | 1.60 million people | 1.65 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.66 million people | 1.64 million people | 1.69 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.85 million people | 1.77 million people | 1.93 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 2.12 million people | 2.10 million people | 2.15 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 2.25 million people | 2.25 million people | 2.25 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
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)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Population density 76.73 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 217,052 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Ireland?
- Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Ireland was 2.25 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.25 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.35 million people in 1950.
- How does Ireland rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Ireland ranks 97th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.