List of Irish counties by population

Last updated June 27, 2024

This is a list of counties of Ireland ordered by population. Counties in the Republic of Ireland are shown in normal type, while those in Northern Ireland are listed in italic type. Non-traditional administrative counties are indicated by a cream-coloured background.

For a more detailed analysis of current and historical Irish populations in the Republic of Ireland, see Irish population analysis. The population of the six counties of Northern Ireland as of 2021 is 1,903,100^[1] which would mean a total population on the island of Ireland as of 2022 of approximately 7,052,314.

Data source (as of June 2023):

Taken from latest census data for the Republic of Ireland ^[2] and Northern Ireland.^[3]
Population data for counties in the Republic of Ireland is based on data from the 2022 census.
Population data for counties in Northern Ireland is based on the 2021 census.
The previous census for the Republic of Ireland was taken in 2016, the previous census for Northern Ireland was taken in 2011.
Density updated as of 2021 for Northern Ireland and 2022 for the Republic of Ireland.

Rank	County	Population	Density		Province	Change since previous census	Change per year
Rank	County	Population	per km²	per sq mi	Province	Change since previous census	Change per year
1	Dublin	1,458,154	1,581.5	4,096	Leinster	7.7%	1.28%
2	Antrim	651,321	211.1	547	Ulster	5.1%	0.51%
3	Cork	584,156	77.5	201	Munster	7.1%	1.18%
4	Down	553,261	222.3	576	Ulster	3.9%	0.39%
–	Fingal	330,506	724.8	1,877	Leinster	11.2%	1.86%
–	South Dublin	301,705	1,354.5	3,508	Leinster	7.5%	1.25%
5	Galway	277,737	45.1	117	Connacht	7.1%	1.18%
6	Londonderry	252,231	119.1	308	Ulster	2.0%	0.20%
7	Kildare	247,774	146.2	379	Leinster	11.0%	1.83%
–	Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown	233,860	1,859.0	4,815	Leinster	7.1%	1.18%
8	Meath	220,826	94.3	244	Leinster	12.9%	2.15%
9	Limerick	209,536	76.0	197	Munster	5.4%	0.9%
10	Armagh	194,394	146.5	379	Ulster	10.1%	1.01%
11	Tyrone	188,383	57.6	149	Ulster	5.5%	0.55%
12	Tipperary	167,895	39.0	101	Munster	5.1%	0.85%
13	Donegal	167,084	34.4	89	Ulster	4.5%	0.75%
14	Wexford	163,919	69.3	179	Leinster	9.2%	1.53%
15	Kerry	156,458	32.5	84	Munster	5.1%	0.85%
16	Wicklow	155,851	76.9	199	Leinster	9.2%	1.53%
17	Louth	139,703	169.1	438	Leinster	7.9%	1.31%
18	Mayo	137,970	24.7	64	Connacht	5.2%	0.87%
19	Clare	127,938	37.1	96	Munster	7.2%	1.2%
20	Waterford	127,363	68.6	178	Munster	9.4%	1.57%
21	Kilkenny	104,160	50.2	130	Leinster	4.5%	0.75%
22	Westmeath	96,221	52.3	135	Leinster	8.0%	1.33%
23	Laois	91,877	53.4	138	Leinster	8.2%	1.37%
24	Offaly	83,150	41.6	108	Leinster	6.0%	1.0%
25	Cavan	81,704	42.3	110	Ulster	6.6%	1.1%
26	Roscommon	70,259	27.6	71	Connacht	8.4%	1.4%
27	Sligo	70,198	38.2	99	Connacht	6.5%	1.08%
28	Monaghan	65,288	50.4	131	Ulster	5.6%	0.93%
29	Fermanagh	63,585	37.6	97	Ulster	3.8%	0.38%
30	Carlow	61,968	69.1	179	Leinster	8.8%	1.47%
31	Longford	46,751	42.9	111	Leinster	14.1%	2.35%
32	Leitrim	35,199	21.9	57	Connacht	9.5%	1.58%
Total	Island of Ireland	7,052,314	83.5	216	—
Average	Island of Ireland	220,385	—	—	—			—

Notes

The populations of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford cities are included with the respective traditional counties. For a list of these cities and their suburbs by population see, List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland . For more information on city status, see City status in Ireland .

Related Research Articles

Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland that is variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares an open border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. At the 2021 census, its population was 1,903,175, making up around 3% of the UK's population and 27% of the population on the island of Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly, established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the UK Government. The government of Northern Ireland cooperates with the government of Ireland in several areas under the terms of the Belfast Agreement. The Republic of Ireland also has a consultative role on non-devolved governmental matters through the British–Irish Governmental Conference (BIIG).

County Antrim is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 3,086 square kilometres (1,192 sq mi) and has a population of 651,321, as of the 2021 census. County Antrim has a population density of 211 people per square kilometre or 546 people per square mile. It is also one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland.

County Londonderry, also known as County Derry, is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. Before the partition of Ireland, it was one of the counties of the Kingdom of Ireland from 1613 onward and then of the United Kingdom after the Acts of Union 1800. Adjoining the north-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,118 km² (818 sq mi) and today has a population of about 252,231.

County Tyrone is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh.

County Waterford is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. Waterford City and County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county at large, including the city, was 127,363 according to the 2022 census. The county is based on the historic Gaelic territory of the Déise. There is an Irish-speaking area, Gaeltacht na nDéise, in the southwest of the county.

County Armagh is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders the Northern Irish counties of Tyrone to the west and Down to the east. The county borders Louth and Monaghan to the south and southwest, which are in the Republic of Ireland. It is named after its county town, Armagh, which derives from the Irish Ard Mhacha, meaning "Macha's height". Macha was a sovereignty goddess in Irish mythology and is said to have been buried on a wooded hill around which the town of Armagh grew. County Armagh is colloquially known as the "Orchard County" because of its many apple orchards.

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

County Down is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of 961 sq mi (2,490 km²) and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the north, the Irish Sea to the east, County Armagh to the west, and County Louth across Carlingford Lough to the southwest.

Newry is a city in Northern Ireland, standing on the Clanrye river in counties Down and Armagh. It is near the border with the Republic of Ireland, on the main route between Belfast and Dublin. The population was 27,913 in 2021.

Bushmills is a village on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Bushmills had a population of 1,247 in the 2021 Census. It is located 60 miles (97 km) from Belfast, 11 miles (18 km) from Ballycastle and 9 miles (14 km) from Coleraine. The village owes its name to the River Bush and to a large watermill that was built there in the early 17th century. It is home to the Old Bushmills Distillery, which produces Irish whiskey, and is near the Giant's Causeway.

Castlederg is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Derg and is near the border with County Donegal, Ireland. It stands in the townlands of Castlesessagh and Churchtown, in the historic barony of Omagh West and the civil parish of Urney. The village has a ruined castle and two ancient tombs known as the Druid's Altar and Todd's Den. It had a population of 2,980 people at the 2021 Census.

Dungannon is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county and had a population of 16,282 at the 2021 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council had its headquarters in the town, though since 2015 the area has been covered by Mid-Ulster District Council.

Ballymena is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the 2021 census, making it the seventh largest town in Northern Ireland by population. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim.

Antrim is a town and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies on the banks of the Six Mile Water on the north-east shore of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 25,606 people in the 2021 census. It is the county town of County Antrim and was the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council until its 2015 merger with Newtownabbey Borough Council to form Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council. The town lies 14 miles (23 km) north-west of Belfast.

Magherafelt is a town and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 9,071 at the 2021 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county and is the social, economic and political hub of the area. It is part of Mid-Ulster District.

Newtownbutler or Newtown Butler is a small town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the southeast corner of the county, near Lough Erne, the border with County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, and the town of Clones. It is surrounded by small lakes and bogland. In the 2011 census it had a population of 989 people.

The population of Ireland in 2021 was approximately seven million with 1,903,100 in Northern Ireland and 5,123,536 in the Republic of Ireland. In the 2022 census the population of the Republic of Ireland eclipsed five million for the first time since the 1851 census. The population of Ireland in 2016 was approximately 6.6 million. Although these figures demonstrate significant growth over recent years, the population of Ireland remains below the record high of 8,175,124 in the 1841 census.

Northern Ireland is the smallest of the four components of the United Kingdom in terms of both area and population, containing 2.9% of the total population and 5.7% of the total area of the United Kingdom. It is the smaller of the two political entities on the island of Ireland by area and population, the other being the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland contains 27.1% of the total population and 16.75% of the total area of the island of Ireland.

References

↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) NISRA Key Report, 2011
↑ "Census 2022 - Summary Results - FY003A- Population". 30 May 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
↑ "County". NISRA. Retrieved 17 August 2023.

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[1] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) NISRA Key Report, 2011

[2] "Census 2022 - Summary Results - FY003A- Population". 30 May 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.

[3] "County". NISRA. Retrieved 17 August 2023.

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List of Irish counties by population

Contents

See also

Notes

Related Research Articles

References