Population in Ireland
Ireland: Population was 5.20 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Population in Ireland, 1950–2023
Source: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in Ireland is 5.20 million people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure 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.
Ireland ranks 122nd of 238 regions on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
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 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)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.47 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 124,730 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.47 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.47 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 0.3% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.6 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in Ireland?
- Population in Ireland was 5.20 million people in 2023, according to HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing 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 238 regions 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 HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing 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
Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2023, based on data and estimates from different sources.