How to use the tool

Choose an area from the Show area menu, then pick what to compare it with from Compare with. That can be Ireland as a whole or any other county or city. Press Compare and the dashboard updates.

Each figure shows two things: how the area ranks among all 31, and how it stacks up against your comparison. The What stands out panel picks out the three measures where your chosen area is most different.

What Census 2022 tells us about Ireland’s counties

Ireland had a population of 5,149,139 on census night in April 2022. Beneath that national total, the differences between areas are striking.

Dublin City is young, diverse and car-light. It has the lowest share of children under 15 of any area, at 15% against 20% nationally. It has the highest share of people with no religion, at 26% against 16%. More than a quarter of residents (27%) were born outside Ireland. Nearly four in ten households (38%) live in a flat or apartment, almost three times the national rate of 13%. And 28% of workers walk or cycle to work, compared with 11% nationally.

Kildare is where new Ireland is being built. 13% of its homes were built since 2011, well above the national figure of 7.9%. Only 8.4% of households have no car, against 14% nationally, which fits a county of commuters. Holiday homes are almost nonexistent, at 0.2% of dwellings.

The west and northwest are older, with more empty homes. Leitrim has a median age of 41.9, three years above the national figure of 38.8. Around 15% of its dwellings are vacant (not counting holiday homes), roughly double the national rate of 7.7%. Kerry has the second-highest median age of any area, at 42.5. Holiday homes make up 12% of its dwellings.

Irish is strongest in Galway County. Half of residents aged three and over (50%) say they can speak Irish, compared with 40% nationally.

Use the tool above to find the stories in your own area.

What the measures mean

The dashboard groups around 30 measures into five themes:

• People: population, median age, children and older people, where people were born, Irish speakers and religion
• Homes: household size, apartments, renting and ownership, new builds, vacancy, holiday homes, heating fuel and renewable energy
• Work and education: employment, unemployment, retirement, third-level qualifications, working from home and the industries people work in
• Getting around: car ownership, how people travel to work and long commutes
• Health and connection: general health, disability, unpaid carers, broadband access and volunteering

Percentages leave out people or homes who didn’t answer that question. The vacancy figure excludes holiday homes, which are shown separately.

About the data

All figures come from the Central Statistics Office’s Census of Population 2022, Small Area Population Statistics (SAPS). The census was taken on 3 April 2022. It is the most complete picture available of who lives in Ireland and how they live.

The CSO publishes this data free for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence.

Frequently asked questions

What was the population of Ireland in Census 2022?
The population was 5,149,139, the highest recorded since 1841.

Why are there 31 areas rather than 26 counties?
The census reports by local authority area. Dublin is split into four council areas: Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin. Cork and Galway each have separate city and county councils. Limerick and Waterford are single city-and-county councils.

Why is the unemployment figure different from the monthly unemployment rate?
The census asks people to describe their own main status on census night. The CSO’s monthly figures come from a separate survey that uses the international definition of unemployment. The two measure slightly different things, so they won’t match exactly.

Is the median age exact?
It’s estimated from the census age groups. It matches the CSO’s national figure of 38.8 years.

Can I use these figures?
Yes. The data is free to reuse with credit to the Central Statistics Office.