Urban population (% of total population) in Ireland
Ireland: Urban population (% of total population) was 64.6% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
64.6%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
108th
of 218 countries
All-time high
64.6%
in 2025
All-time low
63.7%
in 2021
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Urban population in Ireland, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 64.6% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.4% over five years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Ireland peaked at 64.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 63.7%, in 2021.
That places Ireland 108th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Urban population (% of total population) in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 44.9% | — |
| 1961 | 45.4% | +1.2% |
| 1962 | 46.1% | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 46.9% | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 47.8% | +1.9% |
| 1965 | 48.6% | +1.8% |
| 1966 | 49.3% | +1.5% |
| 1967 | 50.0% | +1.4% |
| 1968 | 50.7% | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 51.3% | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 51.8% | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 52.3% | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 52.8% | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 53.2% | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 53.6% | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 53.9% | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 54.3% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 54.6% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 54.9% | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 55.2% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 55.4% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 55.7% | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 55.8% | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 56.0% | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 56.1% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 56.3% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 56.4% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 56.6% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 56.7% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 56.8% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 56.9% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 57.1% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 57.2% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 57.5% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 57.7% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 57.9% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 58.2% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 58.4% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 58.6% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 58.9% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 59.1% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 59.4% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 59.6% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 59.9% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 60.2% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 60.5% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 60.8% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 61.1% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 61.4% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 61.6% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 61.9% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 62.1% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 62.3% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 62.4% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 62.5% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 62.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 62.7% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 62.9% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 63.1% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 63.3% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 63.5% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 63.7% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 63.9% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 64.1% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 64.3% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 64.6% | +0.4% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 64.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 81.3%, 79% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 64.6% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 69.6%, 93% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 48.1% | 44.9% | 51.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 53.7% | 51.8% | 55.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 56.2% | 55.4% | 56.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 57.8% | 56.9% | 58.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.4% | 59.1% | 61.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.6% | 61.9% | 63.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.0% | 63.5% | 64.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 105 Montenegro 65.6% compare
- 106 Tuvalu 65.4% compare
- 107 Gambia 65.0% compare
- 109 North Korea 64.2% compare
- 110 Congo 64.1% compare
- 111 South Africa 63.8% compare
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 urban population in Ireland?
- Urban population in Ireland was 64.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 64.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.7% in 2021.
- How does Ireland rank for urban population?
- Ireland ranks 108th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). 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
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.