Ireland population
Ireland: 5.48 million people in 2025 (5,484,367), 121st of 217 countries and areas — and 6.09 million projected for 2050.
Compare Ireland with another country
Where it stands
In 2025 Ireland has 5,484,367 people, which is 0.067% of the 8.19 billion counted across the 217 countries and areas on this site. That puts it 121st by population, behind Oman and ahead of Slovakia.
Since 1960
In 1960 the figure was 2,828,600. Since then the population has grown 1.94×, an average of 1.02% a year upward. It has not yet doubled since then.
The projection keeps rising to the end of the data: 6,091,619 in 2050, 11.1% above 2025. The highest figure on this page is that last one, so no peak has been reached yet.
The ranking in 2050
In 2050 the projected rank is 118th, up 3 places from 121st. Rankings move when other countries grow faster or slower, not only when Ireland changes.
People and land
Ireland covers 68,890 km² of land, so 2025 density is 80 people per km² — 125th most crowded of 216 places with an area figure. At that density a square 10 km on a side holds about 7,961 people.
The fertility rate was 1.47 births per woman in 2024, below the roughly 2.1 needed to keep a population steady without migration; life expectancy at birth was 83 years (2024); 18.1% of people were under 15 and 16.2% were 65 or older (2025); 65% of the population lived in cities. These shape the curve above: a young population keeps growing after fertility falls, an old one starts shrinking sooner.
Its nearest neighbours in the ranking are Oman just above, with 5.49 million (1× as many), and Slovakia just below, with 5.41 million (1.01× as many as Slovakia has).
How the numbers are taken. Total population from the World Bank's population estimates and projections (built from United Nations and national statistics). Values to 2025 are estimates; 2026–2050 are projections that continue current fertility, mortality and migration trends. Sources and limits.