Share of population living in the capital city in Ireland
Ireland: Share of population living in the capital city was 21.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population living in the capital city in Ireland, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in the capital city in Ireland is 21.8%, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in Ireland peaked at 25.6% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 21.5%, in 2010.
Ireland ranks 56th of 170 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in the capital city in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 23.5% | — |
| 1955 | 24.2% | +3.0% |
| 1960 | 24.0% | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 25.0% | +4.1% |
| 1970 | 25.6% | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 25.1% | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 25.0% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 24.4% | -2.6% |
| 1990 | 24.1% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 23.9% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 23.4% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 22.4% | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 21.5% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 21.8% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 21.8% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 23.9% | 23.5% | 24.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 24.5% | 24.0% | 25.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 25.3% | 25.1% | 25.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 24.7% | 24.4% | 25.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 24.0% | 23.9% | 24.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 22.9% | 22.4% | 23.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 21.7% | 21.5% | 21.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 21.8% | 21.8% | 21.8% | 1 |
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 share of population living in the capital city in Ireland?
- Share of population living in the capital city in Ireland was 21.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 25.6% in 1970.
- What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.5% in 2010.
- How does Ireland rank for share of population living in the capital city?
- Ireland ranks 56th out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in the capital city. 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
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.