Population in Ireland

Ireland: Population was 5.38 million in 2024. β–² Rising

Latest (2024)
5.38 million
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
117th
of 186 countries
All-time high
5.38 million
in 2024
All-time low
2.82 million
in 1961
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Population in Ireland, 1960–2024

02.0M4.0M6.0M196019922024

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

The most recent figure for population in Ireland is 5.38 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population in Ireland peaked at 5.38 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.82 million, in 1961.

Ireland ranks 117th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2.87 million 2.82 million 2.93 million 10
1970s 3.16 million 2.96 million 3.37 million 10
1980s 3.50 million 3.41 million 3.54 million 10
1990s 3.62 million 3.51 million 3.75 million 10
2000s 4.15 million 3.81 million 4.54 million 10
2010s 4.72 million 4.56 million 4.98 million 10
2020s 5.21 million 5.04 million 5.38 million 5

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 114 Liberia 5.61 million compare
  2. 115 Norway 5.57 million compare
  3. 116 Slovak Republic 5.42 million compare
  4. 118 New Zealand 5.34 million compare
  5. 119 Central African Republic 5.33 million compare
  6. 120 Oman 5.28 million compare

See the full ranking of 186 places β†’

More gender data for Ireland

All data for Ireland β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is population in Ireland?
Population in Ireland was 5.38 million in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest population recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 5.38 million in 2024.
What is the lowest population recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 2.82 million in 1961.
How does Ireland rank for population?
Ireland ranks 117th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
Is population rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/population-5/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Population
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
186 places, 12,090 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Data on Gender-disaggregated on selected population characteristics.