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Ireland: cities by population

Ireland has a population of 5,356,950; Dublin is both its capital and its largest city, holding roughly a quarter of the country's people. 544 places recorded across 4 provinces.

+41%

since 2000 (3,802,585)

+11%

projected by 2050 (5,970,042)

people per km²

UN estimates to 2026; the dashed line is the medium-variant projection to 2050, a forecast rather than a measurement. Source: World Population Prospects 2024.

Full UN series, 1950 to 2050

Year	Population
1950	2,912,654
1975	3,180,119
2000	3,802,585
2005	4,155,284
2010	4,559,080
2015	4,702,487
2020	4,982,606
2025	5,308,039
2026	5,356,950
2030 projected	5,525,093
2050 projected	5,970,042

Medium variant. Figures from 2026 onward are projections, not measurements.

Ireland's towns, on the census's own boundaries

#	Built up area	Census 2022
1	Dublin city and suburbs	1,263,219
2	Cork city and suburbs	222,526
3	Limerick city and suburbs	102,287
4	Galway city and suburbs	85,910
5	Waterford city and suburbs	60,079
6	Drogheda	44,135
7	Dundalk	43,112
8	Swords	40,776
9	Navan	33,886
10	Bray	33,512
11	Ennis	27,923
12	Carlow	27,351
13	Kilkenny	27,184
14	Naas	26,180
15	Tralee	26,079
16	Newbridge	24,366
17	Balbriggan	24,322
18	Portlaoise	23,494
19	Athlone	22,869
20	Mullingar	22,667
21	Letterkenny	22,549
22	Greystones-Delgany	22,009
23	Wexford	21,524
24	Sligo	20,608
25	Celbridge	20,601
26	Malahide	18,608
27	Clonmel	18,369
28	Carrigaline	18,239
29	Maynooth	17,259
30	Leixlip	16,733
31	Ashbourne	15,680
32	Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington-Donacarney	15,642
33	Tullamore	15,598
34	Killarney	14,412
35	Cobh	14,148
36	Midleton	13,906
37	Mallow	13,456
38	Arklow	13,399
39	Castlebar	13,054
40	Wicklow	12,957
41	Enniscorthy	12,310
42	Cavan	11,741
43	Gorey	11,517
44	Tramore	11,277
45	Athy	11,035
46	Longford	10,952
47	Rush	10,875
48	Portmarnock	10,750
49	Skerries	10,743
50	Ballina	10,556

The CSO's Census 2022 population of each Built Up Area — the boundary drawn from where the buildings are, which the CSO calls the primary basis for reporting town populations, and the same philosophy as this site's UK boundaries. Data: CSO and Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. An unlinked row is a town below our place-page threshold; the census counts it anyway.

Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.

Largest cities

#	Place	Region	Population
1	Dublin	Leinster	1,024,027
2	Cork	Munster	224,004
3	Limerick	Munster	102,287
4	Galway	Connacht	85,910
5	Tallaght	Leinster	81,022
6	Waterford	Munster	60,079
7	Drogheda	Leinster	44,135
8	Dundalk	Leinster	43,112
9	Swords	Leinster	40,776
10	Navan	Leinster	33,886
11	Bray	Leinster	33,512
12	Dún Laoghaire	Leinster	31,239
13	Ennis	Munster	27,923
14	Carlow	Leinster	27,351
15	Douglas	Munster	26,883
16	Tralee	Munster	26,079
17	Portlaoise	Leinster	23,494
18	Athlone	Leinster	22,869
19	Droichead Nua	Leinster	22,742
20	An Muileann gCearr	Leinster	22,667
21	Letterkenny	Ulster	22,549
22	Sandyford	Leinster	22,288
23	Greystones	Leinster	22,009
24	Balbriggan	Leinster	21,722
25	Kilkenny	Leinster	21,589
26	Wexford	Leinster	21,524
27	Naas	Leinster	20,713
28	Sligo	Connacht	20,608
29	Celbridge	Leinster	20,288
30	Finglas	Leinster	19,768
31	Ballincollig	Munster	18,621
32	Cluain Meala	Munster	18,369
33	Carrigaline	Munster	18,239
34	Rathfarnham	Leinster	17,333
35	Maynooth	Leinster	17,259
36	Malahide	Leinster	16,550
37	Blanchardstown	Leinster	16,511
38	Tullamore	Leinster	15,598
39	Leixlip	Leinster	15,504
40	Lucan	Leinster	15,269
41	Kilquade	Leinster	14,886
42	Castletroy	Munster	14,733
43	Knocklyon	Leinster	14,628
44	Clondalkin	Leinster	14,508
45	Killarney	Munster	14,504
46	Shankill	Leinster	14,257
47	Cobh	Munster	14,148
48	Mallow	Munster	13,456
49	Arklow	Leinster	13,399
50	Castlebar	Connacht	13,054

Every province

Twenty years earlier: Ireland in the 2005 World Gazetteer.