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THE POPULATION OF Ireland is projected to increase to between 5.7 and 6.4 million by 2042, with counties in Dublin’s ‘commuter belt’ expected to see the highest population growth.
The rising population growth in Dublin’s surrounding counties can be attributed to a number of factors, including cost of living in Dublin, and improving public transport services to Dublin in neighbouring counties.
According to Regional Population Projections released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) today, Ireland’s population is expected to grow by at least 500,000 over the next 17 years, with high-end estimates showing a national population growth of 1.2 million.
The CSO estimates that the current population of Ireland is 5,380,300.
CSO data shows the ‘mid-east region’, which includes Kildare, Meath, Louth and Wicklow, is expected to see the largest increases.
The Mid-East region which accounted for 14.9% of the total population share in 2022, is projected to increase under all three scenarios to between 15.5% and 16.1% by 2042.
— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) January 29, 2025
While population growth is expected in all regions of Ireland, the South-West (Cork City and County, Kerry), Mid-West (Clare, Limerick, Tipperary), and Border (Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo) regions are projected to account for a lower percentage share of the total population of Ireland by 2042.
Furthermore, the number of people aged 65 and over is set to increase significantly over this time period across a range of projections.
Hitting one million people by 2030, this section of the population could increase by as much as 62% in some parts of the country by 2042.
As Ireland’s population grow older, the number of persons aged between 0 and 14 years is expected to reduce to 859,400 by 2042.
The CSO projections make a range of assumptions around how the population could change and move over the coming years. One is that there will be continued outflows of people moving out of Dublin to live in other parts of the country, following on from recent trends.
Annually, the CSO said that Dublin could have a net annual migration of 4,600 people to other parts of the country.
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It wouldn’t take an Albert Einstein to figure out that the counties in Dublin ‘commuter belt’ will experience highest population growth over next twenty years!
@g m: These are private companies that advertise these jobs(not the state)and they choose where they want to set up….im sick to my back teeth with this usual narrative of ‘dublins taking all the jobs’….They are not choosing Dublin to annoy you,they are choosing it because it makes sense for them for many reasons.
@Rochelle Hart: The market can choose where they want to go,they are not going to move to a location that doesn’t suit them just to satisfy some government minister that wants to spread jobs around.
@F1rYnpWc: You are dead right, and How are the 20-40 age bracket supposed to afford having kids? They are the real future of our country but due to government/eu policy we won’t be encouraging upping birth rates. Instead just invite the world in instead and to hell with social cohesion
@F1rYnpWc: I have being paying my taxes since I was 18. I am now 54, yes I do expect the honey bees to contribute to my pension. I may not retire until I am 67 but ya never know with this gubberment.
@Tommy: just like the best jobs in the US are clustered around the coastal cities and in the UK it’s London and France it’s Paris etc etc . Companies will go where they can find a skilled workforce and the infrastructure they need.
@Tommy: another guy who thinks the state can choose where these jobs go instead of the companies themselves…..and to spread them around to suit people in rural Ireland .someone said to me recently that if I choose to live in dublin I will have to put up with heavy traffic/higher cost housing/higher cost most everything else and all the other downsides with living in a city.But rural people seem to want all the upsides of living in rural Ireland AND have multinationals and other jobs on their doorsteps.
@John Paul: dublin isn’t the only city on ireland, the government was told about this yrs ago they have been crying out for a motorway between limerick and cork for yrs to connect cities and build them up to attract more business into the area.
A testament to the failure to provide sufficient housing in Dublin. If this is to be, then at least build better transport options and restrict development to the commuter towns. No more isolated one-off builds, unless we want the Galwaynisation of Dublin and surrounding counties.
@Name:HaHa! No more one off builds? I don’t think so lad. There’s a load of local people who can work from home moving back to my area and a lot of other areas! planning notices going up everywhere, It’s absolutely brilliant to see! You can shove your urban living up your hole.
@Dave Callaghan: statistically, its rural people who have been sticking rural living ‘up their hole’ for generations now, as ireland , like the rest of the world becomes more urbanised. A trend that not changing.
Sure its grand with the influx of immigration the government would hardly encourage that if there was plentyful affordable accommodation for those already here and arriving. Why indeed are many 18-25 year olds heading to canada and Australia?
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