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This chapter looks at how the population in Ireland and Northern Ireland has changed over time and gives a breakdown by age and sex. In this chapter data are taken from the census of population in Ireland and uses both census data and the mid-year estimates for Northern Ireland. Further information can be found in the Background Notes of the publication.
This section looks at the change in the population over time. Figure 1.1 shows the number of people in Ireland in each census year from 1946 to 2022 and uses mid-year estimate data for the corresponding year in Northern Ireland.
In 2022, the population of the island of Ireland stood at 7.1 million, an increase of 26%, or 1.5 million, over the 20 years since 2002. This was the first time the population exceeded 7 million since before the famine in 1841 when the population was 8.2 million.
With 5.1 million people, Ireland accounted for 73% of the all-island population, while Northern Ireland accounted for 27%, with 1.9 million people.
Between 2002 and 2022, the population in Northern Ireland grew by 13%. The fastest growth occurred from 2006 to 2011, when the population grew by 4%. After that, growth slowed, dropping to 3% from 2011 to 2016 and declining further to 2% from 2016 to 2022.
During the same 20-year period in Ireland, the population grew by 31%. Growth was strongest from 2002 to 2006 and 2006 to 2011, with an increase of 8% in each census period. However, population growth slowed noticeably between 2011 and 2016, dropping to 4%. Growth then rebounded between 2016 and 2022, reaching 8%.
All administrative areas across Ireland and Northern Ireland recorded population growth between 2011 and 2022 as seen in Figure 1.2. See the Background Notes for more information on administrative areas.
The percentage change in population between 2011 and 2022 was 12% for Ireland and 5% for Northern Ireland, with all areas recording population growth over the period.
In Ireland the area with the largest population growth in the 11 years was Fingal at 21%, while growth was lowest in Donegal at 4%.
The area with the largest population growth between 2011 and 2022 in Northern Ireland was Lisburn and Castlereagh at 11% and the lowest rate of increase was in Causeway Coast and Glens at 0.3%.
This section looks at population density and measures how crowded or spread out people are within a specific geographical area. In this report, it is expressed as the number of occupants per square kilometre. See Background Notes for further information.
In 2022, Dublin City had the largest population with 592,713 people, followed by Cork County (360,152), Belfast (348,005), Fingal (330,506) and South Dublin (301,075).
The areas with the smallest populations were Leitrim (35,199), Longford (46,751) and Carlow (61,968).
The overall population density for the island stood at 84 people per km2. The population density in Northern Ireland was 141 people per km2, almost double that of Ireland, where it was 73 people per km2.
As might be expected, the most densely populated areas per square kilometre were the cities and their surrounding areas, with Dublin City (4,618) and Belfast (2,617) leading, followed by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (1,848) and Galway City Council (1,665).
The population density in Northern Ireland was more evenly distributed across local government districts than across counties in Ireland, ranging from 41 people per km2 in Fermanagh and Omagh to 2,617 people per km2 in Belfast. In Ireland, population density ranged from 22 people per km2 in Leitrim to 4,618 people per km2 in Dublin City.
The population pyramid in Figure 1.3 compares the population in Ireland and Northern Ireland by five year age groups and sex.
In Ireland the sex ratio was 97.7, while in Northern Ireland it was slightly lower at 96.8 males to females.
In Ireland in 2022, the 40 to 44 year age group recorded the greatest proportion of the population. A secondary peak is also evident among the 10 to 14 year age group. This reflects higher birth rates between 1978 and 1982 and 2008 and 2012.
In Northern Ireland in 2022, the 50 to 54 and 55 to 59 year age groups recorded the largest proportions of the population. This reflects higher birth rates from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. A higher birth rate between 2008 and 2012 (10 to 14 year olds in 2022) is also evident.
At 18% of the population, Northern Ireland had a higher proportion of people aged 65 years and over compared with Ireland (15%).
The median age refers to the age at which half of the population is younger and half is older, it divides the population in two parts of equal size.
In 2022, the median age was 38 years in Ireland and slightly older in Northern Ireland, 40 years. The EU median age in 2022 was 44 years. The UK median age in 2022 was 41 years.
Median age has increased over the past 50 years, from 27 in 1971 to 38 in 2022 for Ireland and from 28 to 40 for Northern Ireland.
Higher median ages were calculated for females compared with males in all reported years. In 2022, the female median age in Ireland was 39, compared with 38 for males. In Northern Ireland, the female median age was 41, compared with 39 for males.
Median age started increasing from 1971 for females and from 1981 for males, showing similar trajectories in both jurisdictions.
Age dependency ratios are used to give an indication of the age structure of the population, with young (0 to 14 years) and older people (65 years and over) expressed as a percentage of the population of working age (15 to 64 years).
Between 1926 and 1991, total dependency ratios in Ireland were higher than Northern Ireland. Since 1996 Ireland has recorded lower total dependency compared with Northern Ireland.
While the total dependency fell between 1926 and 1936, the ratios increased to the highest recorded levels, reaching 73.7 in Ireland in 1966 and 67.9 in Northern Ireland in 1971.
By 2006 overall dependency ratios had steadily fallen to 45.8 in Ireland and 51.1 in Northern Ireland. This was driven mainly by a decrease in the young dependency ratio during that period, while old dependency ratio gradually increased.
During the period 2006 to 2022, the older dependency has continued to increase due to an ageing population where fewer children are being born and people are living longer. Higher rates were recorded in Northern Ireland compared with Ireland.
In 2022, the total dependency ratios for Ireland and Northern Ireland were 53.2 and 57.9 respectively. This compares with the EU average of 56.4 and UK average of 57.8 in 2022.
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