Urban population in Ireland
Ireland: Urban population was 64.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
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 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Ireland peaked at 64.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 44.9%, in 1960.
That places Ireland 108th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban 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% |
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 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 64.2% compare
- 110 Congo 64.1% compare
- 111 South Africa 63.8% compare
More climate change data for Ireland
- 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)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0963 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 44.9% in 1960.
- How does Ireland rank for urban population?
- Ireland ranks 108th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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.