Demography: The People of Ireland

Population

• Numbers: 3,883,159 (July 2002 est.)

Age Structure: 0-14 years:

• 21.3% (male 425,366; female 403,268)
• 15-64 years: 67.3% (male 1,307,469; female 1,305,038)
• 65 years and over: 11.4% (male 191,927; female 250,091) (2002 est.)

Population Rates of Change

• Growth Rate: 1.07% (2002 est.)
• Birth rate: 14.62 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
• Death rate: 8.01 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
• Net migration rate: 8.01 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex Ratio

• at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
• under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
• 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
• 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
• total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

• total population: 77.17 years
• female: 80.12 years (2002 est.)
• male: 74.41 years

Nationality

• noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)
• adjective: Irish
• Ethnic groups: Celtic, English

Religions

• Roman Catholic 91.6%
• Church of Ireland 2.5%
• other 5.9% (1998)

Languages

English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard

Literacy

• definition: age 15 and over can read and write
• total population: 98% (1981 est.)
• male: NA%
• female: NA%

[Source: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/ei.html]

Last modified: 26 May 2003