Dublin, Ireland Population

Population in Urban Area, now

1,262,345
  • World: 461st
  • Europe: 41st
  • Ireland: 1st

Population in City Area, 2022-03-09

1,024,027
  • World: 351st
  • Europe: 36th
  • Ireland: 1st

Dublin Urban Area Population Graph

Dublin Population Review

Dublin is the capital of Ireland and located in province of Leinster on the country’s eastern coast and spread out over 318 square kilometres. The city has a rich and fascinating history that dates back to the ninth century when it was founded by the Vikings. The city’s name has evolved over the years, but it was originally called Dubh Linn, which meant ‘black pool’.

Building on this colorful past, Dublin is now a bustling city with an estimated 1 million people living in the city and 1.2 million living in the contiguous urban area, which includes South Dublin, Fingal, and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, which combined make the Dublin Region.

A youthful city

Dublin is an exciting and progressive city, and much of that has to do the age of its population. Around 49% of Dublin’s population is under the age of 30, making Dublin one of the youngest capital cities in Europe. This young workforce helps boost Dublin’s GDP, which accounts for 40% of Ireland’s GDP, and also supplements the city’s higher education. There are four universities in Dublin and the city was the European Capital of Science in 2012.

A catholic city

For anyone familiar with Ireland, it may come as no surprise that 75% of the city’s inhabitants identify as Catholic. The Catholic Church has long held a position of power in the country and legal secularisation only took place late in the twentieth century. Most of the schools in the city are run by Catholic entities but funded by the government. That being said, Dublin’s young population is spearheading a general trend of secularism that is changing the face of the city. Church attendance has continued to drop in Dublin, with only 35% of weekly church attendance among Irish Catholics in 2016. This is down from 91% attendance in 1972.

25% of the country’s population

While Dublin is the third-smallest county in the country of Ireland, its population account for a third of the country’s population. Ireland has only 4.9 million people living there, which goes to show why Dublin’s 1.2 million inhabitants accounts for almost 25% of the country’s population. Dublin’s population is only predicted to continue to grow as people flood into the city from rural areas for employment and education. By 2035, Dublin’s population is predicted to surpass 1.4 million people.

A city of economic potential

Dublin accounts for almost half of Ireland’s GDP and represents 40% of the state’s total GVA. The Greater Dublin Area generates 58% of Ireland’s personal income tax revenue, while Dublin alone generates almost 51% of that. Needless to say, Dublin’s economic importance for Ireland cannot be overstated. The city has been ranked as the second most attractive city for foreign direct investment by the Financial Times, and the second-most popular city for economic potential and business friendliness. Many large companies already call the city home, with five of the top ten companies on Forbes’ list of The World’s Most Innovative Companies already having operations in Dublin.

Tourism to Dublin

Dublin is famous for its cultural heritage and hospitality. The city is a UNESCO City of Literature and has multiple tourist attractions (including three of the five most popular tourist attractions in Ireland), a good nightlife, famous pubs, and gourmet restaurants. Because of this, the city attracts 5.9 million overseas visitors. Dublin has the highest hotel occupancy rate in Europe and, on average, 500,000 people travel within Dublin City Centre every day. Air traffic at the Dublin Airport was up 6% in 2019, with more than 19 million passengers every year.

Review Updated: July 9, 2020
Cityscape of DublinCityscape of Dublin

Dublin Urban Area Population History

1950 626,000
1951 635,000
1952 638,000
1953 641,000
1954 644,000
1955 647,000
1956 650,000
1957 653,000
1958 656,000
1959 658,000
1960 661,000
1961 666,000
1962 680,000
1963 694,000
1964 709,000
1965 723,000
1966 737,000
1967 745,000
1968 754,000
1969 762,000
1970 771,000
1971 781,000
1972 793,000
1973 806,000
1974 820,000
1975 833,000
1976 847,000
1977 861,000
1978 875,000
1979 889,000
1980 903,000
1981 915,000
1982 917,000
1983 918,000
1984 919,000
1985 920,000
1986 921,000
1987 920,000
1988 919,000
1989 917,000
1990 916,000
1991 917,000
1992 924,000
1993 932,000
1994 939,000
1995 946,000
1996 954,000
1997 963,000
1998 971,000
1999 980,000
2000 989,000
2001 997,000
2002 1,006,000
2003 1,017,000
2004 1,027,000
2005 1,037,000
2006 1,048,000
2007 1,061,000
2008 1,074,000
2009 1,087,000
2010 1,100,000
2011 1,113,000
2012 1,126,000
2013 1,138,000
2014 1,150,000
2015 1,163,000
2016 1,176,000
2017 1,188,000
2018 1,201,000
2019 1,215,000
2020 1,228,000
2021 1,242,000
2022 1,256,000
2023 1,270,000
2024 1,285,000

Dublin Urban Area Population Projections

2025 1,299,000
2026 1,314,000
2027 1,329,000
2028 1,344,000
2029 1,359,000
2030 1,374,000
2031 1,390,000
2032 1,405,000
2033 1,422,000
2034 1,438,000
2035 1,455,000

Map of Dublin, Ireland

All Biggest Cities in Ireland

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