Ireland - statistics & facts

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After becoming an independent country in the early twentieth century, the Republic of Ireland is today one of the most developed, least corrupt, and democratic countries in the world. The Republic of Ireland has authority over most of the island of Ireland, with the northeastern fifth of the island, Northern Ireland, the only part that remained in the United Kingdom after the war of independence ended in 1921.

Demographics of Ireland

Ireland’s population stood at approximately 5.38 million in 2024, compared with around 2.97 million in 1950. In the mid nineteenth-century, Ireland’s historical population was larger than it is today, with an estimated population of 6.53 million in the early 1840s. This was before the Great Famine of 1845-51, which caused the deaths of more than a million people, and encouraged waves of emigration to America. As in many other countries, Ireland’s fertility rate has fallen quite considerably in recent years, with population growth sustained through migration to the country. Ireland’s largest city, Dublin had a population of around 1.53 million in 2024, up from 1.26 million in 2011.

Irish Economy

Irish gross domestic product (GDP) was around 510 billion Euros in 2023, the ninth-largest in the European Union. In terms of GDP per capita, Ireland was second only to Luxembourg in the EU, with Ireland’s GDP per head 95,300 Euros in 2023. Ireland’s high GDP figure is however, inflated by the operations of multinational corporation based there, such as Apple. For this reason, a modified version of Ireland’s gross national income is produced by the country’s official statistical agency, which valued Irish gross national income (GNI) at 273 billion Euros in 2022. As in many other countries, Ireland experienced a wave of high inflation between 2021 and 2023, which peaked at 9.2 percent in October 2022, but fell to more usual levels in 2024. After an uptick in unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ireland’s unemployment rate hovered around four percent throughout 2024, with around 2.79 million people employed in the country.

Irish politics

The last election in Ireland took place on November 29, 2024, with the center-right Fianna Fáil party winning the most seats, and ultimately forming a government in early 2025 with their historical rivals Fine Gael, and some independent representatives. Ireland’s current largest opposition party is Sinn Féin, who won the second-highest number of seats in the last election and have seen their support rise significantly in recent years. Citing Sinn Féin’s historical connections to the IRA during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael both ruled out forming a coalition with the party prior to the election. In the weeks leading up to the election, housing was seen by Irish residents as the most important issue facing the country, ahead of concerns about inflation, healthcare, and immigration.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by D. Clark, Jan 31, 2025

Key insights

Ireland: Total population (in million inhabitants)
5.33 m
Ireland: Population growth (compared to previous year)
2.6%
Ireland: Fertility rate
1.7
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Current statistics on this topic

Ireland: Total population from 2019 to 2029 (in million inhabitants)

Ireland

Total population of Ireland 2029

Ireland: Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in current prices from 1989 to 2029 (in U.S. dollars)

Ireland

Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Ireland 2029

Ireland: Life expectancy at birth from 2012 to 2022, by gender

Ireland

Life expectancy at birth in Ireland 2022, by gender

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Crime and Justice

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Crime and Justice

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