Population, total in Ireland
Ireland: Population, total was 5.48 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
5.48 million
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
121st
of 218 countries
All-time high
5.48 million
in 2025
All-time low
2.82 million
in 1961
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population, total in Ireland, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Ireland recorded 5.48 million for population, total in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in Ireland peaked at 5.48 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.82 million, in 1961.
Ireland ranks 121st of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population, total in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.83 million | — |
| 1961 | 2.82 million | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 2.84 million | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 2.85 million | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 2.87 million | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 2.88 million | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 2.89 million | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 2.90 million | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 2.92 million | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 2.93 million | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 2.96 million | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 2.99 million | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 3.04 million | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 3.09 million | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 3.14 million | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 3.19 million | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 3.24 million | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 3.28 million | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 3.33 million | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 3.37 million | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 3.41 million | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 3.45 million | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 3.49 million | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 3.51 million | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 3.53 million | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 3.54 million | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 3.54 million | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3.54 million | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3.52 million | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 3.51 million | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 3.51 million | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 3.53 million | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 3.56 million | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 3.58 million | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 3.59 million | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 3.61 million | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 3.64 million | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 3.67 million | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 3.71 million | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 3.75 million | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 3.81 million | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 3.87 million | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 3.93 million | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 4.00 million | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 4.07 million | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 4.16 million | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 4.27 million | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 4.40 million | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 4.49 million | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 4.54 million | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 4.56 million | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 4.58 million | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 4.60 million | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 4.62 million | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 4.66 million | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 4.70 million | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 4.76 million | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 4.83 million | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 4.90 million | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 4.98 million | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 5.04 million | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 5.11 million | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 5.21 million | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 5.31 million | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 5.40 million | +1.6% |
| 2025 | 5.48 million | +1.6% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 5.48 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.97 million, 1.8× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 5.48 million is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.01 million, 91% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.87 million | 2.82 million | 2.93 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.16 million | 2.96 million | 3.37 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.50 million | 3.41 million | 3.54 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.62 million | 3.51 million | 3.75 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.15 million | 3.81 million | 4.54 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.72 million | 4.56 million | 4.98 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.26 million | 5.04 million | 5.48 million | 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, total in Ireland?
- Population, total in Ireland was 5.48 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 5.48 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.82 million in 1961.
- How does Ireland rank for population, total?
- Ireland ranks 121st out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.