Total population in Ireland
Ireland: Total population was 5,283 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Total population in Ireland, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 5,283 thousands for total population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 12.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population in Ireland peaked at 5,283 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2,950 thousands, in 1970.
That places Ireland 121st out of 230 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3,138 thousands | 2,950 thousands | 3,355 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 3,495 thousands | 3,396 thousands | 3,546 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 3,602 thousands | 3,507 thousands | 3,731 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 4,110 thousands | 3,775 thousands | 4,519 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,689 thousands | 4,549 thousands | 4,904 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,116 thousands | 4,963 thousands | 5,283 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 118 Palestine 5,540 thousands compare
- 119 Slovakia 5,494 thousands compare
- 120 Oman 5,398 thousands compare
- 122 Mauritania 5,242 thousands compare
- 123 New Zealand 5,234 thousands compare
- 124 Costa Rica 5,142 thousands compare
More population data for Ireland
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.455 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 217,052 (2100)
- Population density 76.73 (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.455 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.47 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 124,730 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 1.47 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 1.47 (2024)
- Natural population growth 0.3409 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 1.6 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total population in Ireland?
- Total population in Ireland was 5,283 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total population recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 5,283 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest total population recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,950 thousands in 1970.
- How does Ireland rank for total population?
- Ireland ranks 121st out of 230 countries with data for 2025.
- Is total population rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total population (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release