Population growth in Ireland
Ireland: Population growth was 1.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Population growth in Ireland, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, population growth in Ireland stood at 1.6%.
The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 72.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Ireland peaked at 2.9% in 2007 and was at its lowest, -0.4%, in 1988.
Ireland ranks 65th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth in Ireland, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | -0.1% | — |
| 1962 | 0.4% | -377.0% |
| 1963 | 0.6% | +41.8% |
| 1964 | 0.5% | -16.7% |
| 1965 | 0.4% | -23.0% |
| 1966 | 0.4% | +6.6% |
| 1967 | 0.5% | +18.2% |
| 1968 | 0.5% | -4.5% |
| 1969 | 0.6% | +29.9% |
| 1970 | 0.8% | +42.8% |
| 1971 | 1.2% | +40.1% |
| 1972 | 1.5% | +27.0% |
| 1973 | 1.6% | +7.9% |
| 1974 | 1.7% | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 1.5% | -8.3% |
| 1977 | 1.4% | -10.3% |
| 1978 | 1.4% | +4.8% |
| 1979 | 1.3% | -6.1% |
| 1980 | 1.2% | -13.6% |
| 1981 | 1.2% | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 0.9% | -19.3% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | -25.0% |
| 1984 | 0.6% | -12.6% |
| 1985 | 0.2% | -74.2% |
| 1986 | 0.0% | -71.6% |
| 1987 | 0.0% | -77.2% |
| 1988 | -0.4% | -4225.2% |
| 1989 | -0.4% | -7.4% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -121.3% |
| 1991 | 0.6% | +581.1% |
| 1992 | 0.7% | +18.7% |
| 1993 | 0.5% | -26.7% |
| 1994 | 0.4% | -21.1% |
| 1995 | 0.5% | +30.1% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | +54.3% |
| 1997 | 1.0% | +26.7% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 1.1% | +8.1% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | +18.3% |
| 2001 | 1.6% | +19.4% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | +5.8% |
| 2003 | 1.6% | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | +12.2% |
| 2005 | 2.2% | +19.2% |
| 2006 | 2.7% | +23.7% |
| 2007 | 2.9% | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | -29.5% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | -50.2% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | -46.4% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | -20.0% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | +24.3% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | +38.8% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | +29.3% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | +35.9% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | +9.5% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | -20.4% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | +10.4% |
| 2022 | 2.0% | +41.9% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | -5.3% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | -16.1% |
| 2025 | 1.6% | +3.5% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 1.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 3.6× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 1.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.3%, 5.5× the median. (57 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | -4225.2% | 0.0% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | +581.1% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| 1962 | +377.0% | -0.1% | 0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.4% | -0.1% | 0.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.4% | 0.8% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4% | -0.4% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.1% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.9% | 1.0% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.4% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 2.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More climate change data for Ireland
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 320.11 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 18,098 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,665 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 14,433 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 13.83 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 515.47 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,902 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,899 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.17 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Ireland?
- Population growth in Ireland was 1.6% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.9% in 2007.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.4% in 1988.
- How does Ireland rank for population growth?
- Ireland ranks 65th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 72.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.