Rural population growth in Ireland
Ireland: Rural population growth was 1.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Ireland, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population growth in Ireland stood at 1.0%.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 42.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Ireland peaked at 2.1% in 2007 and was at its lowest, -1.3%, in 1965.
That places Ireland 56th out of 209 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population growth in Ireland, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | -1.1% | — |
| 1962 | -0.8% | -23.6% |
| 1963 | -1.0% | +13.8% |
| 1964 | -1.2% | +23.7% |
| 1965 | -1.3% | +6.9% |
| 1966 | -1.0% | -16.6% |
| 1967 | -0.9% | -17.3% |
| 1968 | -0.9% | +0.2% |
| 1969 | -0.7% | -23.2% |
| 1970 | -0.3% | -53.8% |
| 1971 | 0.2% | -155.7% |
| 1972 | 0.6% | +232.7% |
| 1973 | 0.7% | +25.6% |
| 1974 | 0.8% | +12.4% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 0.7% | -11.0% |
| 1977 | 0.6% | -14.3% |
| 1978 | 0.8% | +18.4% |
| 1979 | 0.7% | -4.0% |
| 1980 | 0.6% | -16.7% |
| 1981 | 0.7% | +14.3% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | -23.7% |
| 1983 | 0.3% | -35.1% |
| 1984 | 0.3% | -16.3% |
| 1985 | -0.2% | -154.9% |
| 1986 | -0.3% | +71.1% |
| 1987 | -0.3% | +4.6% |
| 1988 | -0.7% | +146.6% |
| 1989 | -0.7% | -4.2% |
| 1990 | -0.2% | -68.1% |
| 1991 | 0.2% | -204.7% |
| 1992 | 0.2% | +11.3% |
| 1993 | -0.0% | -103.2% |
| 1994 | -0.2% | +1886.8% |
| 1995 | -0.1% | -64.1% |
| 1996 | 0.2% | -506.3% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | +94.1% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | +6.4% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | +14.8% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | +34.5% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | +32.5% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | +6.9% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -9.4% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | +17.4% |
| 2005 | 1.5% | +30.8% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | +36.5% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | +8.6% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | -40.9% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | -78.1% |
| 2010 | -0.1% | -138.2% |
| 2011 | -0.1% | -24.7% |
| 2012 | -0.0% | -82.3% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | -972.7% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | +209.6% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | +74.3% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +58.8% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -18.5% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +11.4% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | +11.7% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -32.6% |
| 2021 | 0.8% | +14.6% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | +67.3% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | -9.6% |
| 2024 | 0.9% | -26.3% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -1.0% | -1.3% | -0.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.6% | -0.3% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0% | -0.7% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2% | -0.2% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | -0.1% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.7% | 1.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More agriculture & rural data for Ireland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 22.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0106 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,391 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.9559 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3541 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 1.06 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 1.06 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Ireland?
- Rural population growth in Ireland was 1.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 2007.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.3% in 1965.
- How does Ireland rank for rural population growth?
- Ireland ranks 56th out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.