Living in Cities in Ireland: 1800 to Today (and Tomorrow)

At MYRIAD, we examine the statistics of human lives to understand how communities shift across generations. For Ireland, the share of the population living in urban areas tells a profound story of migration, modernization, and endurance. Every data point represents millions of individual choices about where to build a home, raise a family, and seek a livelihood. Behind these percentages are the daily realities of changing landscapes, as rural fields gradually gave way to bustling streets and growing municipal centers over the course of three centuries.

The historical arc of this urbanization unfolds steadily decade by decade. In the 1800s estimate it stood at 11.37 percent, slowly climbing through the 1810s estimate at 13.48 percent, the 1820s estimate at 15.59 percent, the 1830s estimate at 17.7 percent, the 1840s estimate at 19.81 percent, the 1850s estimate at 21.92 percent, the 1860s estimate at 24.03 percent, the 1870s estimate at 26.14 percent, the 1880s estimate at 28.25 percent, and the 1890s estimate at 30.36 percent. By the turn of the century, the 1900s estimate reached 32.47 percent, matching the historical milestone where in 1900 it was 32.47 percent. The movement continued upward through the 1910s estimate at 35.42 percent, the 1920s estimate at 38.37 percent, the 1930s estimate at 41.32 percent, the 1940s estimate at 44.27 percent, the 1950s at 47.22 percent, the 1960s at 51.62 percent, the 1970s at 56.02 percent, the 1980s at 60.42 percent, the 1990s at 61.49 percent, the 2000s at 62.56 percent, and the 2010s at 63.13 percent.

For someone living in Ireland today, the urban share of the population in the 2020s stands at 63.7 percent, placing the nation at #94 of 157 countries globally. Looking ahead, projections suggest continued growth into the 2030s projection at 65.7 percent, the 2040s projection at 67.7 percent, the 2050s projection at 69.7 percent, the 2060s projection at 71.7 percent, the 2070s projection at 73.7 percent, the 2080s projection at 75.7 percent, the 2090s projection at 77.7 percent, and ultimately reaching the 2100s projection at 79.7 percent. This trajectory shapes the physical environment of every resident, dictating the density of neighborhoods and the infrastructure of daily existence. Where do YOU rank among everyone ever born?