2016 census of Ireland

Last updated
Census 2016

  2011 2016 (2016) 2022  

Logo of the 2016 Census of Ireland.jpg
General information
CountryIreland
Topics
Census topics
Authority Central Statistics Office
Website https://census.ie (archived)
Results
Total population4,761,865 (3.8%Increase2.svg)
Most populous county Dublin (1,345,402)
Least populous county Leitrim (32,044)

The 2016 census of Ireland was held in 2016. It was organised by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and reported a total population of 4,761,865, or a 3.8% increase since the prior 2011 census. [1] This was the lowest recorded population growth rate since the 1991 census, with the decline in population growth rates attributed to both lower birth rates and lower net migration. [2] The census results were released gradually between April and December 2017 in a series of reports organised either as summaries or in-depth results of specific themes, like age, ethnicity, or religion. [1]

Contents

The following census took place in April 2022, having been delayed for one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [3]

Background

Although Irish law does not prescribe a regular interval for administering censuses, Census 2016 was held in accordance with Irish government tradition since 1951 to administer a census on a Sunday in April on years ending with the numbers '1' or '6'. [4] This incidentally coincided with the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, which began on Easter Monday, 24 April 1916. [5]

Responsibility for organising the census fell with the Central Statistics Office, which operates within the Department of the Taoiseach. The CSO hired 4,660 enumerators, supported by 430 field supervisors, who reported in turn to 44 regional supervisors. In delivering over two million census forms, enumerators were required to make personal contact with a resident at the property. [6]

Census form

Census 2016 was the first Irish census that allowed respondents to report a marital status contracted with a person of the same sex. [6] This followed a 2015 referendum to amend the Irish Constitution to permit same-sex marriages, which was passed into law by the Marriage Act 2015. Other than marital status, the 2016 census form copied all questions verbatim from the 2011 census form. [7] The same is not planned for the 2022 census, which underwent a public consultation process in 2017 to formulate new questions. [8] These changes included a revision to questions on religion, which Atheist Ireland argued skewed responses towards religiosity. The new questions were trialed in West Cork in 2018. [9]

Although most census forms in 2016 were collected in person by returning enumerators, over 15,000 forms were returned by post, with all recipients legally required to return completed forms. [10]

Results

The census's results on declining religiosity, the aging population, and rising homelessness all drew attention in Irish media. [11] [12] [13] [14] Affiliation with the largest religion in Ireland, Roman Catholicism, dropped to 78%, down from 84% in 2011. [11] The census also reported the first ever recorded fall in the absolute number of Roman Catholics. [12] A thematic report on housing found that home ownership rates reached their lowest since 1971, which Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government Simon Coveney described as a "stark story" emanating from "fundamental structural problems", which he associated with the 2008 Recession and Irish housing bubble. [13]

Population change

While Ireland's population continued to grow in the 2011–2016 period, the decline in growth rates was noted by multiple outlets and the CSO's reporting. [2] [15] [16]

Province

Population and population change in the Republic of Ireland by Province [17]
RankProvincePopulation as of
2011 census
Population as of
2016 census
ChangePercent
change
1Flag of Leinster.svg  Leinster 2,504,8142,630,720125,906 Increase2.svg5.03% Increase2.svg
2Flag of Munster.svg  Munster 1,246,0881,280,39434,306 Increase2.svg2.75% Increase2.svg
3Flag of Connacht.svg  Connaught 542,547550,7428,195 Increase2.svg1.51% Increase2.svg
4Flag of Ulster.svg  Ulster [lower-alpha 1] 294,803296,1201,317 Increase2.svg0.45% Increase2.svg

Region and county

The local government area with the highest percentage growth rate was Fingal (8.1%Increase2.svg), while Dublin city had the largest population increase (+26,942). Of Ireland's traditional counties, the largest overall population increase was in Dublin (+74,799), while both Dublin and Meath were jointly the fastest growing counties (5.9%Increase2.svg). Three counties declined in population: Sligo (−0.1%Decrease2.svg), Mayo (−0.2%Decrease2.svg), and Donegal (−1.2%Decrease2.svg). [18]

Population by region and local government area
Region/county/city2016 pop.2011 pop.ChangePercent
change
Border 394,333391,9922,3410.6%Increase2.svg
Cavan 76,17673,1832,9934.0%Increase2.svg
Donegal 159,192161,137−1,945−1.2%Decrease2.svg
Leitrim 32,04431,7962480.5%Increase2.svg
Monaghan 61,38660,4839031.3%Increase2.svg
Sligo 65,53565,393−142−0.1%Decrease2.svg
Dublin 1,345,4021,270,60374,7995.9%Increase2.svg
Dublin city 554,554527,61226,9424.9%Increase2.svg
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown 218,018206,26111,7575.3%Increase2.svg
Fingal 296,020273,99122,0298.1%Increase2.svg
South Dublin 278,767265,20513,5625.1%Increase2.svg
Mid-East 688,857653,98434,8735.3%Increase2.svg
Kildare 222,504210,31212,1925.6%Increase2.svg
Louth 128,884122,8975,9874.5%Increase2.svg
Meath 195,044184,13510,9095.9%Increase2.svg
Wicklow 142,425136,6405,7854.2%Increase2.svg
Mid-West 473,269467,7595,5101.2%Increase2.svg
Clare 118,817117,1961,6211.2%Increase2.svg
Limerick 194,899191,8093,0901.8%Increase2.svg
Tipperary 159,553158,7547991.1%Increase2.svg
Midland 292,301282,4109,8913.5%Increase2.svg
Laois 84,69780,5594,1385.2%Increase2.svg
Longford 40,87339,0001,8734.6%Increase2.svg
Offaly 77,96176,6871,2741.7%Increase2.svg
Westmeath 88,77086,1642,6062.9%Increase2.svg
South-East 422,062409,14612,9163.2%Increase2.svg
Carlow 56,93254,6122,3204.1%Increase2.svg
Kilkenny 99,23295,4193,8133.9%Increase2.svg
Waterford 116,176113,7952,3812.3%Increase2.svg
Wexford 149,722145,3204,4022.9%Increase2.svg
South-West 690,575664,53426,0413.9%Increase2.svg
Cork city 125,657119,2306,4275.4%Increase2.svg
Cork county 417,211399,80217,4094.4%Increase2.svg
Kerry 147,707145,5022,2051.4%Increase2.svg
West 453,109445,2447,8651.8%Increase2.svg
Galway city 78,66875,5293,1394.2%Increase2.svg
Galway county 179,390175,1244,2662.4%Increase2.svg
Mayo 130,507130,638−131−0.2%Decrease2.svg
Roscommon 64,54464,0654790.6%Increase2.svg

See also

Notes

  1. Includes the three counties of Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan, with six further Ulster counties within Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Dublin</span> County in Ireland

County Dublin is a county in Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dublin was a single local government area; in that year, the county council was divided into three new administrative counties: Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin. The three administrative counties together with Dublin City proper form a NUTS III statistical region of Ireland. County Dublin remains a single administrative unit for the purposes of the courts and Dublin County combined with Dublin City forms the Judicial County of Dublin, including Dublin Circuit Court, the Dublin County Registrar and the Dublin Metropolitan District Court). Dublin also sees law enforcement and fire services administered county-wide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dublin</span> Capital and largest city of Ireland

Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2022 census, the city council area had a population of 592,713, while Dublin City and its suburbs had a population of 1,263,219, and County Dublin had a population of 1,501,500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Ireland</span> Country in north-western Europe

Ireland, also known as the Republic of Ireland, is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. Around 2.1 million of the country's population of 5.15 million people reside in the Greater Dublin Area. The sovereign state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel to the south-east, and the Irish Sea to the east. It is a unitary, parliamentary republic. The legislature, the Oireachtas, consists of a lower house, Dáil Éireann; an upper house, Seanad Éireann; and an elected president who serves as the largely ceremonial head of state, but with some important powers and duties. The head of government is the Taoiseach, who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President, who appoints other government ministers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of the Republic of Ireland</span>

Ireland had an estimated population of 5,281,600 as of 1 April 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Wicklow</span> County in Ireland

County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the east and the counties of Wexford to the south, Carlow to the southwest, Kildare to the west, and South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of the United States</span>

The United States had an official estimated resident population of 334,914,895 on July 1, 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This figure includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia but excludes the population of five unincorporated U.S. territories as well as several minor island possessions. The United States is the third most populous country in the world, and the most populous in the Americas and the Western Hemisphere. The Census Bureau showed a population increase of 0.4% for the twelve-month period ending in July 2022, below the world average annual rate of 0.9%. The total fertility rate in the United States estimated for 2022 is 1.665 children per woman, which is below the replacement fertility rate of approximately 2.1.

<i>Gaeltacht</i> Primarily Irish-speaking regions in Ireland

A Gaeltacht is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The Gaeltacht districts were first officially recognised during the 1920s in the early years of the Irish Free State, following the Gaelic revival, as part of a government policy aimed at restoring the Irish language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Louth</span> County in Ireland

County Louth is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the north-east, across Carlingford Lough. It is the smallest county in Ireland by land area and the 17th most populous, with just over 139,100 residents as of 2022. The county is named after the village of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 United Kingdom census</span> Nationwide census in the United Kingdom in 2001

A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in the Republic of Ireland</span> Religion in Ireland

The documented history of Islam in the Republic of Ireland dates back to the 1950s. The number of Muslims in the Republic of Ireland has increased since the 1990s, mostly through immigration. According to the 2022 Irish census, the number of Muslims resident in the Republic was 83,300.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in the Republic of Ireland</span>

The predominant religion in the Republic of Ireland is Christianity, with the largest denomination being the Catholic Church. The Constitution of Ireland says that the state may not endorse any particular religion and guarantees freedom of religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Border Region</span> NUTS 3 statistical region of the Republic of Ireland

The Border Region is a NUTS Level III statistical region of Ireland. The name of the region refers to its location along the Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border. It is not a cross-border region. It comprises the Irish counties of Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo. The Border Region spans 11,516 km2, 16.4% of the total area of the state, and has a population of 419,473 persons as of the 2022 census, 8.14% of the state total.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-West Region, Ireland</span> Place in Southern, Republic of Ireland

The Mid-West is a strategic planning area within the Southern Region in Ireland. It is a NUTS Level III statistical region of Ireland. It consists of the counties of Clare and Tipperary, and the city and county of Limerick. Limerick City is the economic centre of the region. It spans 10,511 km2, 14.95% of the total area of the state and as of the 2022 census, it had a population of 505,369.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 census of Ireland</span> Irish population census in 2011

The 2011 census of Ireland was held on Sunday, 10 April 2011. It was administered by the Central Statistics Office of Ireland and found the population to be 4,588,252 people. Before the census, the latest population estimate was published in September 2010 and calculated that the Irish population had been 4,470,700 in April 2010. The previous census took place five years earlier, on Sunday, 23 April 2006. The subsequent census took place five years later, on 24 April 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of the world</span> Global human population statistics

Earth has a human population of over 8 billion as of 2024, with an overall population density of 50 people per km2. Nearly 60% of the world's population lives in Asia, with almost 2.8 billion in the countries of China and India combined. The percentage shares of China, India and rest of South Asia of the world population have remained at similar levels for the last few thousand years of recorded history. The world's literacy rate has increased dramatically in the last 40 years, from 66.7% in 1979 to 86.3% today. Lower literacy levels are mostly attributable to poverty. Lower literacy rates are found mostly in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irreligion in the Republic of Ireland</span>

Irreligion in Ireland pertains to the population of Ireland that are atheist, agnostic, or otherwise unaffiliated with any religion. The 2022 census recorded that 14% of the population was irreligious; the second largest category after Roman Catholicism. The population was traditionally devoutly Catholic throughout much of Ireland's modern history, with a peak of 94.9% identifying as Catholic in the 1961 census. This percentage has declined to 69% in the 2022 census, the lowest recorded. Conversely, those with no religion made up less than 0.1% of the population in 1961; the proportion grew slowly until the 1991 census where it began to rapidly increase to its current share of 14% of the population in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinduism in the Republic of Ireland</span> Overview of Hinduism in the Republic of Ireland

Hinduism is a minority religion in Ireland, followed by 0.7% of the country's population. It is also the second fastest-growing religions by percentage in Ireland. There are also a small number of recognised temples in the country.

The 2010 Zambian census was conducted in Zambia in 2010 under the approval of the Government of Zambia, which recorded demographic data from 13 million people and 3.2 million households. The 2010 Census of Population and Housing was conducted between 16 October and 15 November 2010, with all parts of the country covered by 30 November 2010. It was the fifth national population census exercise of Zambia since its independence in 1964, with the previous censuses conducted in 1969, 1980, 1990 and 2000. A total of 3.2 million questionnaires were used for data collection and the processing started in April 2011 by the Central Statistical Office. Optical Mark Reading (OMR) and Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) technology were used for data capture. The census was funded by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Kingdom AID, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), who contributed close to 60 per cent of the total expenditure and rest contributed by the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Zambia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decline of Christianity in the Western world</span> Decreasing Christian affiliation within Western society

The decline of Christianity in the Western world is the decreasing Christian affiliation in the Western world. While most countries in the Western world were historically almost exclusively Christian, the post-World War II era has seen developed countries with modern, secular educational facilities shifting towards post-Christian, secular, globalized, multicultural and multifaith societies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 census of Ireland</span> Irish population census in 2022

The 2022 census of Ireland was held on Sunday, 3 April 2022. It was organised by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and reported a total population of 5,149,139, or an 8.1% increase since the prior 2016 census. It is the highest population recorded in a census since 1841 and the first time the population exceeded five million since 1851. The census results were released gradually between May and December 2023 in a series of reports organised either as summaries or in-depth results of specific themes, like age, ethnicity, or religion.

References

  1. 1 2 "Press Statement: Census 2016 Summary Results – Part 1" (PDF). CSO (Press release). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-09. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  2. 1 2 "Census 2016: Population growth slowest in 20 years". 6 April 2017. Archived from the original on 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  3. Colgan, Laura (1 July 2021). "Next year's census won't include any questions on Covid-19 pandemic". Irish Mirror. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  4. "Census through History - CSO - Central Statistics Office". CSO. Archived from the original on 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  5. "Do you have your Census 2016 form?". Independent. Archived from the original on 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  6. 1 2 Wallace, Arminta. "You fill up my census: preparing for April 24th". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2017-04-29. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  7. "2016 Census Forms". CSO. Archived from the original on 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  8. "Census 2022 Consultation on Form Content". CSO. Archived from the original on 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  9. McHugh, Connell (21 September 2018). "New religion and Irish census questions to be tested throughout the country". Irish Mirror. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  10. McNamee, Michael Sheils. "It still isn't too late to hand back your census form, but you'll have to post it". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  11. 1 2 Linehan, Hugh. "Census 2016 says we are older, less religious and speak less Irish". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  12. 1 2 "Fewer Catholics, while 'no religion' up 74% - Census". 12 October 2017. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  13. 1 2 Edwards, Elaine. "Irish home ownership at lowest level in nearly 50 years". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  14. Ryan, Órla. "One in 10 Irish people say they have no religion, the second largest group behind Roman Catholics". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  15. Central Statistics Office. "Population Change and Historical Perspective" (PDF). CSO (Press release). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  16. O’Doherty, Caroline (15 July 2016). "Population increases and flows from west to east". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  17. "Statistical Yearbook of Ireland 2016". CSO. Archived from the original on 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  18. "Ireland's population has grown according to Census 2016". JOE.ie. Archived from the original on 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-07-23.