Ire People - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

5,323,991 (2023 est.)

Nationality

noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)

adjective: Irish

Ethnic groups

Irish 82.2%, Irish travelers 0.7%, other White 9.5%, Asian 2.1%, Black 1.4%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2.6% (2016 est.)

Languages

English (official, the language generally used), Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official, spoken by approximately 39.8% of the population as of 2016; mainly spoken in areas along Ireland's western coast known as gaeltachtai, which are officially recognized regions where Irish is the predominant language)

Religions

Roman Catholic 78.3%, Church of Ireland 2.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Orthodox 1.3%, Muslim 1.3%, other 2.4%, none 9.8%, unspecified 2.6% (2016 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 20.39% (male 556,057/female 529,454)

15-64 years: 65.04% (male 1,741,527/female 1,720,989)

65 years and over: 14.57% (2023 est.) (male 360,476/female 415,488)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 53.2

youth dependency ratio: 30.5

elderly dependency ratio: 22.7

potential support ratio: 4.4 (2021 est.)

Median age

total: 37.8 years

male: 37.4 years

female: 38.2 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

0.91% (2023 est.)

Birth rate

12.08 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

6.74 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate

3.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

population distribution is weighted to the eastern side of the island, with the largest concentration being in and around Dublin; populations in the west are small due to mountainous land, poorer soil, lack of good transport routes, and fewer job opportunities

Urbanization

urban population: 64.5% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.15% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

1.270 million DUBLIN (capital) (2023)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

30.9 years (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

5 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 3.41 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 3.84 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 2.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 81.87 years

male: 79.57 years

female: 84.3 years (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.91 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.93 (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

N/A

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 97% of population

rural: 98.1% of population

total: 97.4% of population

unimproved: urban: 3% of population

rural: 1.9% of population

total: 2.6% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure

7.1% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density

3.49 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density

3 beds/1,000 population (2018)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 97.8% of population

rural: 99.1% of population

total: 98.3% of population

unimproved: urban: 2.2% of population

rural: 0.9% of population

total: 1.7% of population (2020 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

25.3% (2016)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 10.91 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer: 4.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine: 2.88 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.)

Tobacco use

total: 20.8% (2020 est.)

male: 22.5% (2020 est.)

female: 19% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

N/A

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

52.1% (2023 est.)

Education expenditures

3.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 19 years

male: 18 years

female: 19 years (2020)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 17.4%

male: 16.1%

female: 18.8% (2021 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Ire on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Ire 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Ire 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.