How many people live in Ireland right now?
Right now, according to UN estimates
5,371,451
| Today | In 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Births | · | · |
| Deaths | · | · |
| Net migration | · | · |
| Growth | · | · |
2026 figures
- Rank by population
- 125 of 237
- Share of world population
- 0.06%
- Median age
- 39.2 years
- Children per woman
- 1.60
- Life expectancy
- 82.9 years
- People per km²
- 78
According to UN estimates, about 5.4 million people live in Ireland right now. It ranks 125th out of 237 countries and territories by population, between Slovakia and New Zealand, and it is home to 0.065% of the world's population.
Every day, about 140 people are born there and about 100 die. More people arrive than leave: net migration adds about 32,000 people a year. Overall, the population grows by about 130 people a day (0.88% a year).
In 1950, about 2.9 million people lived there. Since then, the population has grown by 84%. The UN expects it to peak around 2053, at about 6.0 million, and then begin to fall. By 2050 it is projected to have about 6.0 million people (11% more than today), and by 2100 about 5.3 million.
Half of its people are younger than 39 (worldwide, 31). Women have an average of 1.60 children each, below the 2.1 needed for each generation to replace the one before, and life expectancy at birth is 83 years (worldwide, 74). There are 78 people per square kilometer.
UN estimates up to today and projections (medium variant) from today onward.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the population of Ireland in 2026?
- Ireland has about 5.4 million people right now, according to the UN's World Population Prospects 2024. On July 1, 2026, there were 5,356,950.
- How many people are born each day in Ireland?
- About 140 a day (52,600 a year). About 100 people die each day (37,700 a year).
- Is the population of Ireland growing?
- Yes: it grows by 0.88% a year, or about 47,000 people.
- What will the population of Ireland be in 2050?
- According to the UN projection (medium variant), about 6.0 million, with a peak around 2053 at about 6.0 million.
- Why doesn't this figure match the country's official statistics?
- The UN estimates the population of every country with the same method, based on censuses, surveys and registers, and projects it year by year. Each national statistics office uses its own censuses and registers, which may be more up to date or count foreign residents differently. That is why the figures can differ slightly.
Countries with a similar population
- Finland 5,619,922
- Mauritania 5,507,582
- Slovakia 5,448,207
- New Zealand 5,298,027
- Costa Rica 5,181,354
- Kuwait 5,123,449
More countries in Europe
- Russia 143,283,456
- Germany 83,580,397
- United Kingdom 70,045,945
- France 66,775,469
- Italy 58,850,910
- Spain 47,835,426
- Ukraine 39,443,605
- Poland 37,796,218
- Romania 18,766,014
- Netherlands 18,476,981
- Belgium 11,779,072
- Sweden 10,713,758
All countries and territories →
Where these figures come from
The figures are estimates from the United Nations Population Division, published in World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant): the reference used by international organizations and by most population counters. The UN estimates how many people there are on July 1 of each year and how many are born, die and migrate; between one date and the next, this counter spreads the change continuously, second by second.
It is not a real-time headcount: nobody can count every person in a country at once. It is the best available estimate, and it may differ slightly from the figures of each country's statistics office, which use their own censuses and population registers.