Demographics of the Republic of Ireland

Demographic history

The island of Ireland, throughout most of its history, had a small population, comparable to that of other regions of similar area in Europe. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, Ireland experienced a major population boom as a result of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. In the 50-year period 1790-1840, the population of the island doubled from 4 million to 8 million. At its peak, Ireland's population density was similar to that of England and continental Europe.

This changed dramatically with the Great Famine of the mid-19th century, which led to mass starvation and consequent mass emigration. In the area covering the present day Republic of Ireland, the population reached about 6.5 million in the mid 1840s. Ten years later it was down to 5 million. The population continued a slow decline well into the 20th century, with the Republic recording a low of 2.8 million in the 1961 census.

During the 1960s, the population started to grow once more, although slowly as emigration was still common. In the 1990s the country entered a period of rapid growth as a result of the Celtic Tiger Irish economic boom. Immigration began to far outweigh emigration. Many former Irish emigrants returned home, and Ireland became an attractive destination for immigrants, mainly from Central Europe, but also from Africa, Asia and elsewhere. However, with the 2008 onset of the Irish economic and banking crisis, the country's economy suffered, and since then Ireland has once again been experiencing net emigration.

In November 2013 Eurostat reported that the Republic had the largest net emigration rate of any European Union country at 7.6 people emigrating per 1,000 population. However, it has the youngest population of any country in the European Union and its population size is predicted to grow for many decades into the future, bucking the trend of declining population predicted for most European countries. A report published in 2008 predicted that the population would reach 6.7 million by 2060. The country has also has been experiencing a baby boom, with increasing birth rates and overall fertility rates. Despite this the total fertility rate is still below replacement. This increase is primarily fueled by non-Irish immigration - in 2009, a quarter of all children born in the state were born to mothers who had immigrated from other countries.

Ethnic groups and immigration

Gaelic culture and language forms an important part of the Irish national identity.

The Irish Travellers are an indigenous minority ethnic group. Traveller representative organisations are currently seeking official recognition of Traveller ethnicity by the Irish State.

In 2008, Ireland had the highest birth rate (18.1 per 1,000), lowest death rate (6.1 per 1,000) and highest net-migration rate (14.1 per 1,000) in the entire European Union – and the largest population growth rate (4.4%) in the 27-member bloc as a result.

Ireland is home to people from all over the globe, especially in Dublin. The most common foreign nationalities include Polish, British, Lithuanian, Latvian and Nigerian.

Traditionally Ireland has been a land of mass emigration and it has had to adapt to mass immigration. Some illegal immigrants are reported to use sham marriages as method to gain legal status. The Irish government has sought to work with UK government to stem the flow of illegal immigrants.

Current natural growth

Births from January–September 2015 = 50,375

Births from January–September 2016 = 49,157

Deaths from January–September 2015 = 23,020

Deaths from January–September 2016 = 23,435

Natural growth from January–September 2015 = 27,355

Natural growth from January–September 2016 = 25,722

Demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO), Eurostat and the CIA World Factbook.

Population

Figures from the CSO.

4,581,269 (2011) 4,585,400 (2012 preliminary estimate) 4,757,976 (2016 census)

Age structure

0–14 years: 21.3% (male: 501,189; female: 478,401) (2011) 15–64 years: 67.0% (male: 1,558,196; female: 1,545,073) (2011) 65 years and over: 11.7% (female: 292,079; male: 243,314) (2011)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15–64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008)

Infant mortality rate

total:

3.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2013)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 80.19 years (2011) female: 82.55 years (2011) male: 77.96 years (2011)

Total fertility rate

2.1 children born/woman (2009)

HIV/AIDS

– adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) - people living with HIV/AIDS: 6,900 (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Irishman (men), Irishwoman (women), Irish (collective plural) adjective: Irish

Nationalities in Ireland

Irish (including dual-Irish/other): 86.9%, UK: 2.5%, Other EU 27: 6.1%, Other Europe: 0.7%, Asia: 1.5%, Africa: 0.9%, USA: 0.2%, Other countries: 0.5%, Multiple nationality: 0.1%, Not stated: 1.2% (2011)

Below are the 20 largest immigrant groups in Ireland according to the 2011 census.

Ethnic groups

Irish, with Norse (Scandinavian), Norman, English, French, Scottish, and Welsh, Ulster-Scots and various immigrant populations – the largest immigrant groups, with over 10,000 people, are the British, Poles, Americans, Lithuanians, Latvians, Germans, Nigerians, Indians, Pakistanis and Chinese.

Ethnic (or cultural) backgrounds: White Irish: 84.5%, White Irish Travellers (awaiting official recognition of minority ethnic group status by the Irish State): 0.7%, Other White: 9.1% (total White: 94.3%), Asian: 1.9%, Black: 1.4%, Other: 0.9%, Not Stated: 1.6% (2011)

Religions

Roman Catholic 84.16%, No Religion 7.63%, Church of Ireland 2.81%, Islam 1.07%, Orthodox 0.99%, Presbyterian 0.54%, Methodist 0.15% (2011). In an Irish Times Behaviour Attitudes social poll published on 15 September 2010, 32% of those surveyed said they went to a religious service more than once a week.

Geographic Population Distribution

Urban population (areas with >1,500 people): 62.0% (2011) Rural population: 38.0% (2011)

Languages

English is the most commonly used language, with 94% of the population calling it their mother tongue. Irish is the first official language of the state, with 11% calling it their mother tongue. Irish is the main language of the Gaeltacht regions, where 96,628 people live. Shelta and Ulster Scots are also spoken by small communities. The main sign language used is Irish Sign Language.

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over who can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)