The population of Dublin in particular is expected to swell over the next two decades.
The population of the Republic of Ireland could increase by over one million people in the next 17 years, according to projections by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
According to the CSO’s Regional Population Projections 2017-2036 report, released on Tuesday, Ireland’s population is expected to increase to between 5.33 million and 5.81 million by 2036, having stood at 4.74 million in 2016.
The population of Dublin alone is expected to increase by 31.9%, from 1.34 million in 2016 to 1.76 million by 2036, representing 31.6% of the total population of the Republic of Ireland, a figure partly explained by international migration into Ireland and internal migration inflows to Dublin.
The report presents six regional population projection results for each year from 2017 to 2036, consistent with those used in the national population and labour force projections, published in June 2018.
Explaining how those scenarios work, CSO Statistician James Hegarty said: “This publication is not an attempt to predict the future but rather presents how the population could evolve under six different scenarios.
“By making assumptions about future trends in mortality, fertility, internal and international migration we can project the population forward and examine the possible outcomes for demographic groups such as the school-going population, the working-age population and the elderly.”
The findings in the report included that:
- The Mid-East region, which accounted for 14.6% of the total population share in 2016, is projected to increase under all six scenarios to between 15.1% and 16.6% by 2036.
- The South-West, Mid-West, West and Border regions are projected to account for a lower percentage share of the total population under all scenarios by 2036.
- The number of persons aged 65 years and over is projected to see increases in excess of 65% across all regions by 2036.
You can read the report in full here.
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