Demographics & population — Ireland
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Demographics & population at a glance
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators. Key figure for Ireland: 5,233,461
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Population overview
- Population
5,233,461
- Population Growth Rate
0.93%
- Population Distribution
population distribution is weighted to the eastern side of the island, with the largest concentration being in and around Dublin; populations in the west are small due to mountainous land, poorer soil, lack of good transport routes, and fewer job opportunities
- Urban Population
- urban population: 64.5%
- of total population rate of urbanization: 1.15% annual rate of change
- Population in Major Urban Areas
1.270 million DUBLIN (capital)
- Population: Male/Female
- male: 2,590,542
- female: 2,642,919
Age & family
- Age Structure
- years: 18.6% (male 498,124/female 477,848) 15-64
- years: 65.5% (male 1,701,680/female 1,728,041) 65
- years and over: 15.8% (male 390,738/female 437,030)
- Median Age
- total: 40.2
- years male: 39.7
- years female: 40.6 years
- Birth Rate - births/1,000 population
11
- Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population
7.4
- Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman
1.72
- Gross reproduction rate
1
- Currently married women (ages 15-49)
52.1%
- Mean Age for Mother's First Birth (age 25-49)
30.9
- Mother's mean age at first birth
30.9
- Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female
- at birth: 1.06
- male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.04
- male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98
- male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89
- male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female
Migration
- Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population
5.6
Ethnicity & language
- Ethnic Groups
Irish 76.6%, Irish travelers 0.6%, other White 9.9%, Asian 3.3%, Black 1.5%, other (includes Arab, Roma, and persons of mixed backgrounds) 2%, unspecified 2.6%
- Language Note
English (official, the language generally used), Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official, spoken by approximately 37.7% of the population as of 2022; mainly spoken in areas along Ireland's western coast known as gaeltachtai, which are officially recognized regions where Irish is the predominant language)
- Nationality Noun
- noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women),
- Irish (collective plural) adjective: Irish
Education
- Education Expenditures - percent of GDP
3.1%
- Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)
- total: 19
- years male: 18
- years female: 19 years
Health & living conditions
- Life Expectancy at Birth
- total population: 82
- years male: 80.3
- years female: 83.9 years
- Infant Mortality Rate
- total: 3.3 deaths/1,000
- live births male: 3.2 deaths/1,000
- live births female: 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births
- Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births
- total: 3.3 deaths/1,000
- live births male: 3.2 deaths/1,000
- live births female: 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births
- Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births
5
- Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population
3.49
- Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population
3
- Health Expenditures - percent of GDP
7.1%
- Obesity - adult prevalence rate
25.3%
- Tobacco Use
- total: 20.8%
- male: 22.5%
- female: 19%
- Alcohol consumption per capita
- total: 10.91
- liters of pure alcohol beer: 4.92
- liters of pure alcohol wine: 2.88
- liters of pure alcohol spirits: 2.29
- liters of pure alcohol other alcohols: 0.82 liters of pure alcohol
- Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved
- urban: 97%
- of population rural: 98.1%
- of population total: 97.4%
- urban: 3%
- of population rural: 1.9%
- of population total: 2.6% of population
- Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved
- urban: 97.8%
- of population rural: 99.1%
- of population total: 98.3%
- urban: 2.2%
- of population rural: 0.9%
- of population total: 1.7% of population