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The National Archives have released the 1926 Census of Population records. This historic release makes the individual returns from the 1926 census freely available online alongside the 1901 and 1911 census records. This incredible project by the National Archives included the cataloging, conservation and digitisation of over 700,000 household returns with records for close to 3 million people. This is a rich genealogical resource available worldwide and people with Irish ancestry can use this platform to explore their heritage.
You can search the census records on the National Archives website.
To mark the release of this fantastic resource the CSO are looking back at the statistics from the 1926 census to see how the population then compares to the population from the most recent census in 2022.
Ireland’s population was 2.97 million in 1926, as recorded in the first census conducted by the Irish Free State. By 2022 it had grown to 5.15 million, an increase of 73% that marks a clear shift from long term decline to sustained population growth.
Life expectancy at birth was 57 years for males and 58 years for females in 1926. By 2022 life expectancy at birth was 81 years for males and 84 years for females. In 2022, 7% of the population was aged 75 and over, compared with almost 3% in 1926.
Dublin accounted for 17% of the population in 1926, while Cork was 12% and counties such as Mayo, Galway, and Donegal were between 5% and 6%. By 2022, Dublin’s share had risen to 28%, while Cork stood at 11%. In contrast the populations of Leitrim (-37%), Mayo (-20%), and Roscommon (-16%) saw double digit declines from 1926 to 2022.
In 1926, 97% of people living in Ireland were Irish born and less than 1% were born outside Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Great Britain, reflecting very low inward migration. By 2022, the Irish born share was 80% and 14% of residents were born outside Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Great Britain, highlighting the diversification of the population driven by increased inward migration.
Roman Catholics made up 93% of the population in 1926, while by 2022 this had fallen to 69%. Census 1926 did not record a separate category for people with no religion, and those outside the main denominations were instead captured under an ‘other' category which accounted for less than 1% of the population. In 2022 people with no religion made up 15% of the population.
In 1926, there were 1,307,662 people at work, with males making up 74% of the workforce and females 26%. By 2022, there were 2,320,297 people at work, comprising 1,241,353 males (53%) and 1,078,944 females (47%), showing both a much larger workforce and a far more even gender balance.
Some 18% of the population were reported as having any Irish-language ability in Census 1926, while in 2022, 40% reported being able to speak Irish based on a broader measure that captured any level of spoken use, from daily to occasional.
People in agricultural occupations made up the majority of the workforce in 1926, accounting for 51% of all workers. By 2022, this had fallen to almost 4% of those at work.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (20 April 2026) published Then and Now: Life in Ireland in 1926 and 2022.
Commenting on the release, Maria Yasin, Statistician in the Census Division of the CSO, said:
“Census 1926 provides a statistical overview of Ireland at an important point in its history. As the first census carried out by the Irish Free State, it records the demographic and social conditions of the time, including population size, religion, occupation, migration, and Irish language. With the tables now digitised and freely available to everyone on the CSO’s open data portal we can compare the Census 1926 figures with those from Census 2022 and see how these areas have changed over the past century.
The information gathered in Census 1926 stands as a baseline for understanding a century of demographic, economic, and social development. The CSO is uniquely placed to compare 1926 data with our most recent census which took place in 2022, and this analysis informs our understanding of long-term trends that shape Ireland today. By bringing these statistics together, this release allows us to see not only how Ireland once was, but how profoundly it has changed.
This analysis complements the release of the 1926 Census forms by the National Archives on 18 April 2026. For more information on this historic event, please see our accompanying Press Release.
Population and Life Expectancy
The Census 1926 results show a population of 2.97 million people, one of the lowest recorded since the Great Famine. When compared with today’s population of more than 5 million people, the scale of subsequent recovery is clear.
Improvements in life expectancy are equally evident, where the average person in 1926 could expect to live to their late 50s, life expectancy has since risen by more than 20 years for both males and females who were now expected to live to their early 80s. The birth rate in 1926 was almost twice as high as the birth rate in 2022. This is reflected in the age profile of the population with 29% of people aged under 15 in 1926 compared with less than 20% in 2022.
Population Distribution and Migration
The census also highlights the very different regional and social landscape of the time. In 1926, Dublin was already the largest population centre (17%), but far less dominant than it is today (28%), while many western counties accounted for a much larger share of the national population than they do now. It is interesting to note that Dublin was the only county to experience growth between 1911 and 1926, while all other counties saw their population decline, continuing that downward trend since the 1891 Census.
The largest population growth by far was in Kildare where the population increased by 327% from just over 58,000 in 1926 to almost 248,000 in 2022, followed by Meath (251%), and Dublin (188%). In contrast the populations of Leitrim (-37%), Mayo (-20%), and Roscommon (-16%) saw double digit decreases.
Patterns of migration were also fundamentally different. In 1926, inward migration was very limited, and 97% of the population was Irish born, compared with 80% in 2022.
Religion
Religion, work, and daily life in 1926 also reflected a society organised in ways that are now largely historical. The census recorded a far more uniform religious profile, with 93% of the population recorded as Roman Catholic. In 2022, the equivalent figure was 69%, and that census included a broader set of religious categories, reflecting a more diverse population.
Irish
Census 1926 marked a historic milestone for the Irish language. For the first time in more than 70 years, the steady decline in Irish speakers was reversed. In 1926, 18% of the population were recorded as Irish speakers, a figure shaped by a question that identified only those who spoke Irish as their sole language, native speakers who also spoke English, or people who could read Irish without speaking it, meaning the count reflected native ability and literacy rather than wider or occasional use.
In 2022, 40% of people reported being able to speak Irish, based on a question asked of everyone aged three and over that captured any level of spoken ability and distinguished between daily use inside or outside education, weekly use, less frequent use, or no use despite having the ability, producing a broader measure of engagement with the language.
In Census 1926, Galway recorded the highest level of individuals who reported having Irish at 47% (80,238 people), reflecting the strong level of Irish across all categories in this area. In 2022, Galway County had the highest share of people who reported they could speak Irish (50%), with Galway City also high at 45%.
Occupations
Comparing both census results, we can see how the structure of employment in Ireland has shifted over time, moving from a workforce dominated by agriculture and manual labour in 1926 to one centred on non-manual, managerial, and professional roles in 2022. Not only has the types of jobs changed substantially over that time, but so too has the number of people at work and the gender profile.
In 1926, there were 963,768 males (74%) and 343,894 females (26%) at work, while in 2022 the workforce consisted of 1,241,353 males (53%) and 1,078,944 females (47%). Agriculture dominated the labour force, with 51% of all workers employed on farms, including just over 206,000 sons and daughters classed as assisting farmers working on family land. By 2022, almost 4% of people worked in agriculture.
Some notable jobs in 1926 included 10,852 horse vehicle drivers, 1,441 saddlers, 1,012 coopers (cask and barrel makers) and 211 chimney sweepers, of which one was female.
We also can see the early signs of modernisation as there were 10,291 motor vehicle drivers, 4,609 motor mechanics, and 2,475 electrical fitters recorded in Census 1926. Some 23,187 electricians and electrical fitters and 3,141 electrical and electronics technicians were recorded in Census 2022, and driving jobs had expanded to include more than 35,500 large goods vehicle drivers and van drivers, 13,153 taxi and cab drivers and chauffeurs, and 10,676 bus and coach drivers.
The health service in 1926 was far smaller with 2,051 medical doctors, 491 midwives, 5,341 sick nurses, and 536 dentists recorded. This contrasts sharply with the diversification and specialisation of health‑related occupations in Census 2022 where there were 62,483 nurses and midwives, 17,953 medical practitioners, 2,330 dental practitioners, 5,056 medical and dental technicians, 37,843 nursing auxiliaries and assistants, 1,699 paramedics, 6,033 pharmacists, 2,975 psychologists, and 4,069 therapy professionals.
By 2022, we can also see a substantial shift to specialised roles, particularly in the areas of IT and finance. There were 32,997 software developers and 12,644 IT specialists recorded in Census 2022, while on the finance side, there were 43,304 chartered and certified accountants and 15,895 business and financial project management professionals. In 1926, only 382 chartered accountants were recorded. Learn more about our changing and evolving workforce in our Occupations chapter".