Ireland’s population grew by 1.2% in year to April 2026
New CSO data showed that Ireland’s population grew by 1.2% (67,000 people) in the year to April 2026, reaching 5.5 million. Although this remains one of the fastest rates of population growth in Europe, the 1.2% increase was the slowest recorded in Ireland since 2016, excluding the Covid-19-affected year of 2021. This reflects declining birth rates, which have reduced the natural increase in the population, combined with an expected slowdown in net inward migration from the exceptional levels seen following the outbreak of war in Ukraine. However, the broader picture is that net inward migration into Ireland, at 48,000 people or 0.9% of the population, remains exceptionally high by both historical and international standards.
Looking forward, the key question is whether limited housing availability will constrain further inward migration. However, here some progress has been made. The 38,000 housing completions recorded in the year to June 2026 represent enough new housing capacity to accommodate more than 100,000 people. After years of under-supply, homebuilding is now at a level sufficient not only to accommodate population change of 67,000 but also to begin eating into pent-up demand. So Ireland may continue to record population outcomes towards the upper end of the CSO’s population projections.
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