Demographics

Ireland - Population by Gender

Following a decline in population in the mid-1980s, the population of Ireland has been increasing, particularly as a result of net in-migration driven both by returning emigrants of Irish origin and increased entry of foreign nationals.

The population of Ireland was 3.917 million persons following the census in 2002.

The gender breakdown is given in the following table.

Ireland: Total Population (Persons)
Year	Total	Males	Females
1901	3,221,823	1,610,085	1,611,738
1911	3,139,688	1,589,509	1,550,179
1926	2,971,992	1,506,889	1,465,103
1936	2,968,420	1,520,454	1,447,966
1946	2,955,107	1,494,877	1,460,230
1951	2,960,593	1,506,597	1,453,996
1961	2,818,341	1,416,549	1,401,792
1971	2,978,248	1,495,760	1,482,488
1981	3,443,405	1,729,354	1,714,051
1991	3,525,719	1,753,418	1,772,301
1996	3,626,087	1,800,232	1,825,855
2002	3,917,203	1,946,164	1,971,039