World Factbook
Ireland
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Languages
English (official, the language generally used), Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official, spoken by approximately 37.7% of the population)
Religions
Roman Catholic 69.2% (includes lapsed), Protestant 3.7% (Church of Ireland/England/Anglican/Episcopalian 2.5%, other Protestant 1.2%), Orthodox 2%, other Christian 0.9%, Muslim 1.6%, other 1.4%, agnostic/atheist 0.1%, none 14.5%, unspecified 6.7% (2022 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.98 male(s)/female
total population
0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.89 male(s)/female
Birth rate
10.95 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
7.43 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
39.7 years
total
40.5 years (2025 est.)
female
40.6 years
Population
male
2,590,542
total
5,233,461 (2024 est.)
female
2,642,919
Nationality
noun
Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)
adjective
Irish
Tobacco use
male
19.2% (2025 est.)
total
16.8% (2025 est.)
female
14.4% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
64.5% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
1.15% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
18.6% (male 498,124/female 477,848)
15-64 years
65.5% (male 1,701,680/female 1,728,041)
65 years and over
15.8% (2024 est.) (male 390,738/female 437,030)
Ethnic groups
Irish 76.6%, Irish travelers 0.6%, other White 9.9%, Asian 3.3%, Black 1.5%, other (includes Arab, Roma, and persons of mixed backgrounds) 2%, unspecified 2.6% (2022 est.)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
52.6 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio
28.5 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio
4.1 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
24.1 (2024 est.)
Physician density
3.88 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
6.1% of GDP (2022)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
22.3% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
4.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
2.9 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.72 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 97% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 96% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 95.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 3% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 4.6% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
2.9% of GDP (2021 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
12.3% national budget (2021 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
3.2 deaths/1,000 live births
total
3.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
3.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
0.8% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.83 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
population distribution is weighted to the eastern side of the island, with the largest concentration in and around Dublin; populations in the west are small due to mountainous land, poorer soil, and lack of transport routes
Life expectancy at birth
male
80.3 years
female
83.9 years
total population
82 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
4 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 98.2% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 96.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 94.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 1.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 3.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 5.2% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
4.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
2.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
10.91 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
2.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0.82 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
1.270 million DUBLIN (capital) (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
25.3% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
30.9 years (2020 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
47.1% (2022 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
19 years (2022 est.)
total
19 years (2022 est.)
female
20 years (2022 est.)