Irish population rises to 5.52 million amid rapid growth
Thursday 3 September 2026
New Central Statistics Office estimates show Ireland's population has grown by 7.3 per cent in four years, reaching over 5.52 million people.
According to the latest estimates from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the population of the Republic of Ireland reached 5,525,600 in April.
This represents a 7.3 per cent increase from the 5.15 million people recorded in the Census four years ago. The steep rise was partially driven by a spike in immigration following the war in Ukraine shortly after the last Census was conducted.
If these current population trends are extrapolated, Ireland is on course to reach nearly 7.8 million residents by the year 2049.
This projected growth has constitutional implications for political representation in the state. Under current rules linking population size to representation, a population of 7.8 million could result in approximately 260 TDs, leading to larger constituencies and longer election counts.