Ireland Demographics

Population of Ireland (2025)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Ireland

Ireland Population
5,308,039
see live
Yearly Change
+1.01%
Global Share
0.06%
Global Rank
125

Median Age

The median age in Ireland is 39 years (2025).

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)
1.6
(Live Births per Woman, 2025)

Life Expectancy in Ireland

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
82.7
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
84.7
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
80.8
(life expectancy at birth, males)


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


Infant Mortality
2.6
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
3.1
(per 1,000 live births)


Ireland Urban Population

Currently, 62.1% of the population of Ireland is urban (3,294,830 people in 2025)


Population Density

The 2025 population density in Ireland is 77 people per Km2 (200 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 68,890 Km2 (26,599 sq. miles).

Largest Cities in Ireland

# City Population
1 Dublin 1,024,027
2 South Dublin 278,749
3 Cork 190,384
4 Limerick 94,192
5 Galway 83,456
6 Tallaght 80,339
7 Waterford 53,504
8 Swords 42,738
9 Drogheda 40,956
10 Dundalk 39,004
11 Bray 32,600
12 Douglas 26,883
13 Dun Laoghaire 26,525
14 Ennis 25,276
15 Navan 24,545
16 Carlow 24,272
17 Tralee 22,941
18 Droichead Nua 22,742
19 Sandyford 22,288
20 Balbriggan 21,722
21 Kilkenny 21,589
22 Athlone 21,351
23 Naas 20,713
24 Celbridge 20,288
25 Wexford 19,913
26 Finglas 19,768
27 Letterkenny 19,274
28 Sligo 19,199
29 Ballincollig 18,621
30 Greystones 18,140

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.