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Table 1.1 Population by county, 2011 & 20161
  '000% %
Region and countyPopulation Share of total population
20112016Change 20112016
Border392.0394.30.6 8.58.3
Cavan73.276.24.1 1.61.6
Donegal161.1159.2-1.2 3.53.3
Leitrim31.832.00.8 0.70.7
Monaghan60.561.41.5 1.31.3
Sligo65.465.50.2 1.41.4
Midland282.4292.33.5 6.26.1
Laois80.684.75.1 1.81.8
Longford39.040.94.8 0.80.9
Offaly76.778.01.7 1.71.6
Westmeath86.288.83.0 1.91.9
West445.4453.11.7 9.79.5
Galway City75.578.74.2 1.61.7
Galway County175.1179.42.4 3.83.8
Mayo130.6130.5-0.1 2.82.7
Roscommon64.164.50.7 1.41.4
Dublin1,273.11,347.45.8 27.728.3
Dublin City527.6554.65.1 11.511.6
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown206.3218.05.7 4.54.6
Fingal274.0296.08.0 6.06.2
South Dublin265.2278.85.1 5.85.9
Mid-East654.0688.95.3 14.314.5
Kildare210.3222.55.8 4.64.7
Louth122.9128.94.9 2.72.7
Meath184.1195.05.9 4.04.1
Wicklow136.6142.44.2 3.03.0
Mid-West467.8473.31.2 10.29.9
Clare117.2118.81.4 2.62.5
Limerick191.8194.91.6 4.24.1
Tipperary158.8159.60.5 3.53.4
South-East409.1422.13.2 8.98.9
Carlow54.656.94.2 1.21.2
Kilkenny95.499.24.0 2.12.1
Waterford113.8116.22.1 2.52.4
Wexford145.3149.73.0 3.23.1
South-West664.5690.63.9 14.514.5
Cork City119.2125.75.4 2.62.6
Cork County399.8417.24.4 8.78.8
Kerry145.5147.71.5 3.23.1
Total4,588.34,761.93.8 100.0100.0
Source: CSO Census of Population
1 De facto population, i.e., all people present in the state on Census night.
  • The population of Ireland increased by 3.8% between 2011 and 2016. The largest increase at a regional level was in Dublin at 5.8% followed by the Mid-East region at 5.3%. The Border (0.6%) and Mid-West (1.2%) had the smallest percentage increases over this time period.
  • At county level, Fingal (8%), Meath (5.9%) and Kildare (5.8%) had the largest percentage increases between 2011 and 2016 while there were decreases in Donegal (-1.2%) and Mayo (-0.1%).
  • Four counties had percentage increases of less than 1% over the same time period: Sligo, Tipperary, Roscommon and Leitrim.
  • In 2016 28.3% of the population of Ireland lived in Dublin while 14.5% lived in the Mid-East. Thus just under 43% of all Irish people lived in the Dublin or the Mid-East regions in 2016.
  • The proportion of people living in Dublin and the Mid-East increased slightly between 2011 and 2016 while there was no change in the proportions living in the South-East or the South-West.
  • Between 2011 and 2016, the proportion of people living in the Border, Midland, West and Mid-West regions declined.
Table 1.2 Population density by region, 2016
km2'000persons per km2
RegionArea1PopulationPopulation density
Border11,187394.335
Midland6,510292.345
West13,642453.133
Dublin & Mid-East7,7722,036.2262
  Dublin 9241,347.41,458
  Mid-East6,848688.9101
Mid-West10,090473.347
South-East7,145422.159
South-West12,120690.657
Total68,4664,761.970
Sources: CSO Census of Population, Ordnance Survey Ireland
1 Land only (water excluded). De facto population, i.e., all people present in the State on Census night.
  • The Dublin region had by far the highest population density in 2016, at 1,458 persons per square kilometre.
  • The lowest population density was in the West at 33 persons per square kilometre, followed by the Border at 35.
Table 1.3 Town size by region, 20161,2
     % of row'000
RegionTown sizeRural 2Persons
 Under 1,5001,500 to 9,99910,000 to 99,999100,000 & over  
Border15.116.412.50.055.9394.3
Midland11.814.730.40.043.1292.3
West8.414.723.50.053.4453.1
Dublin0.44.06.787.11.81,347.4
Mid-East7.820.643.60.028.0688.9
Mid-West11.317.228.80.042.7473.3
South-East10.812.733.70.042.8422.1
South-West7.913.413.330.235.3690.6
Total7.212.621.129.030.14,761.9
Source: CSO Census of Population
1 De facto population, i.e., population in the State on Census night 2016.
2 Rural refers to aggregate rural population, including population clusters under 1,500 persons.
  • More than half of the population of the Border and West regions lived in rural areas in 2016 compared to just 1.8% of Dublin residents.
  • Over 87% of people living in Dublin were resident in towns of 100,000 or more while 30.2% of people in the South-West were in towns of this size.  No other regions in Ireland had towns of 100,000 people or more.
25%
About a quarter of the population of Meath, Laois and Fingal was under 15 years of age
1.4 Age by county, 20161
     % of row'000
County0-1415-2425-4445-6465 & overPersons
Border22.011.526.225.015.2394.3
Cavan23.111.527.224.513.776.2
Donegal22.011.625.725.015.7159.2
Leitrim21.69.925.226.416.932.0
Monaghan22.711.427.724.214.061.4
Sligo20.312.225.525.716.265.5
Midland23.211.828.224.012.8292.3
Laois24.611.129.723.311.384.7
Longford23.311.127.224.214.240.9
Offaly22.712.027.224.513.678.0
Westmeath22.312.428.324.212.888.8
West20.811.927.225.015.1453.1
Galway City16.817.135.019.811.278.7
Galway County22.710.926.325.614.5179.4
Mayo20.310.824.626.617.6130.5
Roscommon21.210.525.326.416.664.5
Dublin19.312.733.822.012.21,347.4
Dublin City15.013.237.421.313.0554.6
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown18.413.728.223.915.9218.0
Fingal24.511.333.621.49.1296.0
South Dublin23.012.231.422.311.1278.8
Mid-East23.911.929.323.711.2688.9
Kildare24.112.630.323.29.9222.5
Louth23.012.128.823.612.5128.9
Meath25.111.529.423.410.7195.0
Wicklow22.711.427.925.013.0142.4
Mid-West21.012.227.125.014.7473.3
Clare21.511.526.226.014.9118.8
Limerick20.313.328.424.014.1194.9
Tipperary21.311.526.325.615.3159.6
South-East21.811.627.325.014.4422.1
Carlow22.212.328.723.912.956.9
Kilkenny21.911.327.724.914.299.2
Waterford21.111.926.925.115.0116.2
Wexford22.011.326.725.314.7149.7
South-West20.612.028.424.614.3690.6
Cork City14.316.431.322.315.7125.7
Cork County22.911.228.424.613.0417.2
Kerry19.510.726.126.816.9147.7
Total21.112.129.523.813.44,761.9
Source: CSO Census of Population
1 De facto population i.e., all people present in the State on Census night 2016.
  • The regions with the highest proportion of young people aged 0-14 in 2016 were the Mid-East at 23.9% and the Midlands at 23.2%.
  • Dublin (19.3%) and the South-West (20.6%) were the regions with the lowest proportions of people aged 0-14.
  • At county level, about a quarter of the population was aged under 15 years in Meath, Laois and Fingal in 2016.
  • The lowest proportions of people aged 0-14 were in Cork City (14.3%), Dublin City (15%) and Galway City (16.8%).
  • The Border (15.2%) and West (15.1%) had the highest proportion of people aged 65 and over in 2016 while the Mid-East (11.2%) and Dublin (12.2%) had the lowest.
  • At county level, Mayo, Kerry and Leitrim had the highest proportions of people aged 65 and over while Fingal, Kildare and Meath had the smallest proportions.
Table 1.5 Young and old age dependency ratios by region, 20161
% of 15-64 age group
RegionYoung age dependency ratio (0-14)Old age dependency ratio (65 & over)Young and old age dependency ratio
Border35.124.359.4
Midland36.320.056.2
West32.423.656.0
Dublin28.217.946.1
Mid-East36.817.354.1
Mid-West32.622.855.4
South-East34.122.656.7
South-West31.722.053.7
Total32.320.452.7
Source: CSO Census of Population
1 De facto population, i.e., all people present in the State on Census night.
  • The young age dependency ratio was highest in the Mid-East in 2016, when the number of people aged under 15 as a percentage of those aged 15-64 was 36.8%, followed by the Midland region at 36.3%.
  • The Border had the highest old age dependency ratio, with the number of people aged 65 and over as a percentage of those aged 15-64 at 24.3% followed by the West at 23.6%.
  • The lowest combined age dependency ratio was in Dublin, where the number of people aged under 15 or over 65 as a percentage of those aged 15-64 was 46.1%.
  • The combined age dependency ratio was more than 50% in every other region in 2016 with the highest in the Border region at 59.4%.
Table 1.6 Males per 100 females by region, 2006 and 20111
males per 100 females
RegionUrbanRuralTotal
 201120162011201620112016
Border93.893.9103.4101.8100.699.5
Midland97.298.1103.0102.0100.3100.2
West94.193.1103.6102.399.998.7
Dublin94.895.4101.9101.294.995.6
Mid-East96.596.1102.6101.898.798.1
Mid-West95.796.2103.5102.099.899.3
South-East95.695.8102.1100.799.098.4
South-West95.795.4102.7101.598.798.0
Total95.395.5103.0101.798.197.8
Source: CSO Census of Population
1 De facto population, i.e., all people present in the State on Census night.
  • There were more women than men in all urban areas in Ireland in 2016. In contrast, there were more men than women in rural areas.
  • The number of men per 100 women in urban areas varied from a low of 93.1 in the West to a high of 98.1 in the Midlands.
  • In rural areas, the figures ranged from just 100.7 men per 100 women in the South-East to 102.3 in the West.
  • The overall number of men per 100 women in Ireland in 2016 was 97.8, a slight drop from the 2011 figure of 98.1. 
  • The only region with more men than women in 2016 was the Midland region where there were 100.2 men per 100 women.
  • Dublin had the lowest regional ratio in 2016, with 95.6 men per 100 women.
Table 1.7 Living arrangements by region, 20161
   '000%
RegionIn private householdsPercentage living alone
 Living aloneLiving with othersTotal
Border38.2351.0389.39.8
Midland23.9266.1290.08.2
West42.2400.8443.09.5
Dublin108.41,200.41,308.98.3
Mid-East44.6639.5684.16.5
Mid-West44.0424.0468.09.4
South-East36.7380.2416.98.8
South-West61.8614.8676.69.1
Total399.84,276.84,676.68.5
Source: CSO Census of Population
1 Persons in private households based on usual residence, see Appendix 1 for definitions.
  • Nationally, 8.5% of people in private households lived alone in 2016.
  • Close to one in ten persons lived alone in the Border, West and Mid-West regions. The Mid-East region had the fewest people living alone at just 6.5%.
Table 1.8 Living alone by age and county, 20161
    % of cohort'000
Region and county25-4445-6465 & over25 & overPersons
Border7.813.928.714.737.4
Cavan6.913.228.513.66.6
Donegal8.313.828.414.915.3
Leitrim8.717.032.717.63.7
Monaghan6.212.127.412.75.1
Sligo9.115.328.616.06.8
Midland6.612.726.312.623.4
Laois6.612.026.311.96.3
Longford7.915.029.515.04.0
Offaly5.811.824.511.85.9
Westmeath6.813.126.312.87.3
West7.213.727.914.141.2
Galway City7.918.328.114.16.8
Galway County6.211.826.412.614.6
Mayo8.214.528.815.613.4
Roscommon7.113.629.514.96.3
Dublin6.612.526.811.9105.6
Dublin City9.017.532.415.558.0
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown5.410.725.611.817.1
Fingal4.68.720.68.115.1
South Dublin4.28.921.18.615.4
Mid-East5.210.123.510.143.9
Kildare5.09.122.49.112.6
Louth6.612.226.412.310.1
Meath4.89.322.79.311.4
Wicklow4.910.823.210.69.8
Mid-West7.513.527.414.043.1
Clare7.713.527.814.310.9
Limerick7.513.226.913.517.1
Tipperary7.413.827.714.315.1
South-East7.212.526.313.135.9
Carlow6.912.326.612.64.6
Kilkenny6.011.425.011.87.6
Waterford8.813.727.214.611.0
Wexford6.712.526.213.112.7
South-West7.313.227.013.560.4
Cork City10.116.929.816.513.8
Cork County6.211.625.511.831.9
Kerry8.114.927.915.314.7
Total6.812.626.712.7390.9
Source: CSO Census of Population
1 Persons in private households based on usual residence, see Appendix 1 for definitions.
  • There were about 390,900 people aged 25 and over living alone in Ireland in 2016.
  • More than a quarter (26.7%) of those aged 65 and over lived alone. The proportion of people aged 65 and over living alone varied from 28.7% in the Border to 23.5% in the Mid-East.
  • At county level, nearly a third (32.7%) of those aged 65 and over lived alone in Leitrim compared to just 20.6% in Fingal.
  • Nationally the age group least likely to live alone were those aged 25-44, with just 6.8% of people in this age group living alone in 2016.
Table 1.9 Social class by county, 20161
      % of row'000
CountyProfessional workersManagerial & technicalNon-manualSkilled manualSemi-skilledUnskilled & otherTotal persons
Border6.024.817.916.512.222.6394.3
Cavan5.523.917.918.112.721.876.2
Donegal5.624.217.716.212.324.0159.2
Leitrim6.027.718.915.411.021.032.0
Monaghan5.224.217.319.013.221.261.4
Sligo7.926.718.113.911.222.165.5
Midland5.825.617.415.611.524.0292.3
Laois5.626.618.115.211.423.184.7
Longford4.823.016.915.712.027.740.9
Offaly5.324.617.117.112.023.878.0
Westmeath7.026.717.414.710.823.488.8
West7.727.117.214.112.021.9453.1
Galway City10.225.414.99.411.129.078.7
Galway County8.229.116.914.612.019.2179.4
Mayo6.125.617.815.812.622.0130.5
Roscommon6.226.919.714.811.720.764.5
Dublin10.130.417.411.88.322.01347.4
Dublin City9.626.616.211.39.127.2554.6
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown16.239.716.37.74.915.2218.0
Fingal8.932.918.512.98.518.3296.0
South Dublin7.328.319.414.99.420.7278.8
Mid-East7.930.218.115.010.318.6688.9
Kildare7.430.518.215.39.818.9210.3
Louth5.925.218.116.912.021.9122.9
Meath7.730.518.416.310.316.8195.0
Wicklow8.631.817.114.110.118.3142.4
Mid-West7.426.217.414.511.423.1473.3
Clare7.428.517.914.910.920.5118.8
Limerick8.125.516.913.811.024.7194.9
Tipperary6.525.217.815.012.323.2159.6
South-East6.626.217.615.711.822.1422.1
Carlow5.824.416.515.911.226.156.9
Kilkenny7.729.517.415.910.419.199.2
Waterford7.625.417.414.112.123.4116.2
Wexford5.525.418.216.612.721.6149.7
South-West8.527.317.814.511.320.6690.6
Cork City8.221.516.512.311.330.2125.7
Cork County9.329.818.014.811.316.8417.2
Kerry6.325.318.215.711.323.2147.7
Total8.128.117.614.110.521.64,761.9
Source: CSO Census of Population
1 De facto population, i.e., all people present in the state on Census night.
  • Four out of ten people living in Dublin in 2016 were in the professional worker or managerial & technical social classes, compared to three out of ten people living in the Border region.
  • In Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, more than half (55.9%) of people were in the professional work or managerial & technical social classes, while Longford had the smallest proportion in this class at just 27.8%.
  • The skilled manual and semi-skilled social classes accounted for 28.7% of people living in the Border in 2016 compared to 20.1% of people living in Dublin.
  • At county level, Monaghan had the highest proportion of people in the skilled manual and semi-skilled classes at 32.2% compared to only 12.6% in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.

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