County Louth contains the administrative territorial entity Drogheda
Demographics
Population
According to the 2016 census, Louth had a population of 128,884 as of the 2016 census, a 4.9% increase since the 2011 census. The population density of the county is 155.4 people per square kilometre, more than double the national average, which makes Louth the second most densely populated county in the Republic of Ireland, and the fourth most densely populated county on the island of Ireland. As of 2016, Louth was also the second most urbanised county in the State, with 67.6% of the county's population living within urban areas. Under Central Statistics Office (CSO) classification, an "urban area" is a town with a population greater than 1,500. As a result, much of the county outside of the larger towns is relatively sparsely populated, with most small areas (SAs) having a population density of between 20 and 50 people per km2.
The county has two dominant population centres, Dundalk, located in the north of the county, and Drogheda, located in the south on the border with County Meath. These two towns combined comprise approximately 58.3% of the county's total population, and are the 6th- and 8th-largest urban areas in Ireland respectively. Overall, Drogheda is the larger of the two; however, the town's southern environs — home to roughly 5,000 people — are located in Meath. Therefore, Dundalk is the largest settlement wholly located within Louth and is also the county town.
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