Population in Ireland
Ireland: Population was 5.20 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
5.20 million people
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
122nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
5.20 million people
in 2023
All-time low
2.82 million people
in 1961
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Population in Ireland, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2023, population in Ireland stood at 5.20 million people. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in Ireland peaked at 5.20 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.82 million people, in 1961.
That places Ireland 122nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Population in Ireland, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.91 million people | — |
| 1951 | 2.94 million people | +0.8% |
| 1952 | 2.94 million people | +0.2% |
| 1953 | 2.93 million people | -0.4% |
| 1954 | 2.92 million people | -0.5% |
| 1955 | 2.90 million people | -0.5% |
| 1956 | 2.88 million people | -0.5% |
| 1957 | 2.87 million people | -0.5% |
| 1958 | 2.85 million people | -0.5% |
| 1959 | 2.84 million people | -0.5% |
| 1960 | 2.83 million people | -0.4% |
| 1961 | 2.82 million people | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 2.83 million people | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 2.84 million people | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 2.86 million people | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 2.87 million people | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 2.89 million people | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 2.91 million people | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 2.92 million people | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 2.94 million people | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 2.96 million people | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 2.99 million people | +1.1% |
| 1972 | 3.04 million people | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 3.08 million people | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 3.13 million people | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 3.18 million people | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 3.23 million people | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 3.28 million people | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 3.33 million people | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 3.38 million people | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 3.42 million people | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 3.45 million people | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 3.48 million people | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 3.50 million people | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 3.52 million people | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 3.53 million people | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 3.54 million people | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 3.54 million people | -0.0% |
| 1988 | 3.53 million people | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 3.51 million people | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 3.51 million people | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 3.53 million people | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 3.56 million people | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 3.58 million people | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 3.59 million people | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 3.61 million people | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 3.64 million people | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 3.67 million people | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 3.71 million people | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 3.75 million people | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 3.80 million people | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 3.86 million people | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 3.93 million people | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 3.99 million people | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 4.07 million people | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 4.16 million people | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 4.27 million people | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 4.39 million people | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 4.49 million people | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 4.53 million people | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 4.56 million people | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 4.58 million people | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 4.60 million people | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 4.62 million people | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 4.66 million people | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 4.70 million people | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 4.75 million people | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 4.81 million people | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 4.87 million people | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 4.93 million people | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 4.98 million people | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 5.03 million people | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 5.11 million people | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 5.20 million people | +1.7% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 5.20 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.98 million people, 1.7× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 5.20 million people is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.36 million people, 82% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.90 million people | 2.84 million people | 2.94 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.87 million people | 2.82 million people | 2.94 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.16 million people | 2.96 million people | 3.38 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.50 million people | 3.42 million people | 3.54 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.62 million people | 3.51 million people | 3.75 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.15 million people | 3.80 million people | 4.53 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.71 million people | 4.56 million people | 4.93 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.08 million people | 4.98 million people | 5.20 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 119 Slovakia 5.52 million people compare
- 120 Liberia 5.49 million people compare
- 121 Palestine 5.41 million people compare
- 123 New Zealand 5.17 million people compare
- 124 Central African Republic 5.15 million people compare
- 125 Costa Rica 5.11 million people 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)
- 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 population in Ireland?
- Population in Ireland was 5.20 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 5.20 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest population recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.82 million people in 1961.
- How does Ireland rank for population?
- Ireland ranks 122nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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. 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
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown.