Ireland Demographics

Population of Ireland (2026)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Ireland

Ireland Population
5,356,950
see live
Yearly Change
+0.92%
Global Share
0.06%
Global Rank
125

Median Age

The median age in Ireland is 39.2 years (2026).

Fertility in Ireland

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility : the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
1.60
(Live Births per Woman, 2026)

Life Expectancy in Ireland

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
82.9
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
84.9
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
81.0
(life expectancy at birth, males)


Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in Ireland


Infant Mortality
2.5
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
3.0
(per 1,000 live births)


Ireland Urban Population

Currently, 64.8% of the population of Ireland is urban (3,473,280 people in 2026)


Population Density

The 2026 population density in Ireland is 78 people per km² (201 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 68,883 km² (26,596 sq. miles).

Largest Cities, Towns and Boroughs in Ireland

The 30 largest of 73 cities, towns and boroughs, ranked by population at the census of April 3, 2022 (by Central Statistics Office, Ireland).

RankCity, Town or BoroughPopulation
1Dublin592,713
2Cork131,423
3Galway84,414
4Limerick62,702
5Waterford54,313
6Dundalk35,450
7Navan32,000
8Drogheda30,900
9Bray28,600
10Naas26,306
11Tralee22,900
12Wexford22,350
13Ennis22,350
14Sligo18,855
15Letterkenny17,550
16Athlone17,100
17Leixlip16,600
18Carlow16,150
19Clonmel14,800
20Killarney14,250
21Arklow13,390
22Greystonesincl. Delgany13,150
23Tullamore11,957
24Castlebar11,950
25Mullingar10,879
26Ballina10,850
27Athy10,850
28Shannon10,250
29Tramore10,150
30Kilkenny9,768
See all 73 cities, towns and boroughs in Ireland

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigeria Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

Population pyramid stages

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio

Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio

Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio

Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.

Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64] ) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.