Ireland Population
Ireland had an estimated population of 5,484,367 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 121st most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.07% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +1.63% a year.
Ireland at a glance
How Ireland's population is changing
Ireland's population is growing fast: +1.63% a year, which works out to about +89,300 people per year, or +244 a day. Births (10.0 per 1,000) and deaths (6.5 per 1,000) alone would give +0.35% a year; net migration adds about 35,417 people a year (+0.65%). Roughly one in every 1,498 people on Earth lives in Ireland.
Population of Ireland since 1960
In 1960, Ireland had 2,828,600 people. By 2025 that was 5,484,367 — 1.9× larger. The fastest growth came between 1998 and 2008, when the population rose by 21%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2,828,600 | — |
| 1970 | 2,957,250 | +4.5% |
| 1980 | 3,412,800 | +15.4% |
| 1990 | 3,513,974 | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 3,805,174 | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 4,560,155 | +19.8% |
| 2020 | 5,039,747 | +10.5% |
| 2025 | 5,484,367 | +8.8% |
Ireland from 1800 to 2100
The series for Ireland begins in 1950 at 2,912,656; the UN estimates 5,308,035 in 2025 and projects 5,286,118 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2053 at 5,977,055 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2,912,656 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 3,802,589 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 5,308,035 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 5,970,040 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 5,708,190 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 5,286,118 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Ireland
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 5,484,367. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dublin | 1,142,650 | UN urban centre | 20.83% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Cork | 154,085 | UN urban centre | 2.81% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Limerick | 102,287 | GeoNames settlement | 1.87% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Tallaght | 81,022 | GeoNames settlement | 1.48% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Galway | 76,385 | UN urban centre | 1.39% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Waterford | 60,079 | GeoNames settlement | 1.10% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Drogheda | 44,135 | GeoNames settlement | 0.80% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Dundalk | 43,112 | GeoNames settlement | 0.79% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Swords | 40,776 | GeoNames settlement | 0.74% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Navan | 33,886 | GeoNames settlement | 0.62% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Ireland compares
Ireland has almost the same population as Oman (5,494,691).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #119 |  Central African Republic | 5,513,282 | +1% | compare → |
| #120 |  Oman | 5,494,691 | +0% | compare → |
| #122 |  Slovakia | 5,413,813 | −1% | compare → |
| #123 |  Palestine | 5,413,596 | −1% | compare → |
Compare Ireland with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Ireland
Land neighbours (1)
United Kingdom 69,487,000 · 12.7× the population · compare
Ireland's 1 neighbours together hold 69,487,000 people — 12.7× Ireland's population. The most populous is United Kingdom (69,487,000).
In its region
Ireland is the 32nd most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 0.6% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Ireland
Cities
Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Tallaght, Galway, Waterford, Drogheda, Dundalk — all Ireland's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Ireland when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.