Question: What are the major ethnic groups in Ireland?

Demographics of the Republic of Ireland


The Republic of Ireland had a population of 4,757,976 at the 2016 census.[1]
Demographic history

The island of Ireland, throughout most of its history, had a small population, comparable to that of other regions of similar area in Europe. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, Ireland experienced a major population boom as a result of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. In the 50-year period 1790-1840, the population of the island doubled from 4 million to 8 million. At its peak, Ireland's population density was similar to that of England and continental Europe.
This changed dramatically with the Great Famine of the mid-19th century, which led to mass starvation and consequent mass emigration. In the area covering the present day Republic of Ireland, the population reached about 6.5 million in the mid 1840s. Ten years later it was down to 5 million. The population continued a slow decline well into the 20th century, with the Republic recording a low of 2.8 million in the 1961 census.[2]
During the 1960s, the population started to grow once more, although slowly as emigration was still common. In the 1990s the country entered a period of rapid growth as a result of the Celtic Tiger Irish economic boom. Immigration began to far outweigh emigration. Many former Irish emigrants returned home, and the Republic of Ireland became an attractive destination for immigrants, mainly from Central Europe, but also from Africa, Asia and elsewhere. However, with the 2008 onset of the Irish economic and banking crisis, the state's economy suffered, and since then the Republic of Ireland has once again been experiencing net emigration.
In November 2013, Eurostat reported that the republic had the largest net emigration rate of any member state, at 7.6 emigrants per 1,000 population. However, it has the youngest population of any European Union member state and its population size is predicted to grow for many decades, in contrast with the declining population predicted for most European countries. A report published in 2008 predicted that the population would reach 6.7 million by 2060.[3] The Republic has also been experiencing a baby boom, with increasing birth rates and overall fertility rates.[4] Despite this, the total fertility rate is still below replacement depending on when the measurement is taken. The Irish fertility rate is still the highest of any European country.[5] This increase is significantly fuelled by non-Irish immigration – in 2009, a quarter of all children born in the Republic were born to mothers who had immigrated from other countries.[6]
Historical populationYearPop.±%1841 6,528,799—1851 5,111,557−21.7%1861 4,402,111−13.9%1871 4,053,187−7.9%1881 3,870,020−4.5%1891 3,468,694−10.4%1901 3,221,823−7.1%1911 3,139,688−2.5%1926 2,971,992−5.3%1936 2,968,420−0.1%1946 2,955,107−0.4%1951 2,960,593+0.2%1961 2,818,341−4.8%1971 2,978,248+5.7%1981 3,443,405+15.6%1991 3,525,719+2.4%2002 3,917,203+11.1%2011 4,588,252+17.1%2018 4,857,000+5.9%Source: CSO[7]
Ethnic groups and immigration
Gaelic culture and language forms an important part of the Irish national identity.
The Irish Travellers are an indigenous minority ethnic group, formally recognised by the Irish State since March 1st 2017. [8]
In 2008, Ireland had the highest birth rate (18.1 per 1,000), lowest death rate (6.1 per 1,000) and highest net-migration rate (14.1 per 1,000) in the entire European Union – and the largest population growth rate (4.4%) in the 27-member bloc as a result.[9]
Ireland contains several immigrant communities, especially in Dublin. The most common foreign nationalities include Polish, British, Lithuanian, Latvian and Nigerian.
There is only genetic evidence for pre-Celtic migration into Ireland.  The Irish people may therefore be described as strongly influenced by Celtic language and traditions but the Irish population is not mainly of Celtic origin.[10]
Population statistics from 1900






Life in Ireland
Culture
Christianity
Cuisine
Culture
Customs
Holidays
Music
Religion
Sport
Tourism
Economy
Communications
Economy
Taxation
Transport
General
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Geography
History
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Recycling
Society
Demographics
Education
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Languages
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Policies
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Marriage equalityvt

Current natural growth
[13]
Births from January–June 2017 =  31,709
Births from January–June 2018 =  31,078
Deaths from January–June 2017 =  16,382
Deaths from January–June 2018 =  16,870
Natural growth from January–June 2017 =  15,327
Natural growth from January–JUne 2018 =  14,208
Total fertility rate from 1850 to 1899
The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: Our World In Data and Gapminder Foundation.[12]






Life expectancy

Source: UN World Population Prospects[14]
Demographic statistics
Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review.[15]
One birth every 8 minutes
One death every 16 minutes
One net migrant every 90 minutes
Net gain of one person every 14 minutes
The following demographic statistics are from the Republic of Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO), Eurostat and the CIA World Factbook.[16]
Population

Figures from the CSO.[17]
5,068,050 (July 2018 est.)
Age structure[18]

0-14 years: 21.37% (male 554,110 /female 529,067)
15-24 years: 11.92% (male 306,052 /female 297,890)
25-54 years: 42.86% (male 1,091,495 /female 1,080,594)
55-64 years: 10.53% (male 267,255 /female 266,438)
65 years and over: 13.32% (male 312,694 /female 362,455) (2018 est.)

Median age
total: 37.1 years Country comparison to the world: 70th
male: 36.8 years
female: 37.5 years (2018 est.)
Nationality
noun: Irishman (men), Irishwoman (women), Irish (collective plural)
adjective: Irish
Nationalities in the Republic of Ireland
Irish (including dual-Irish/other): 86.9%, UK: 2.5%, Other EU 27: 6.1%, Other Europe: 0.7%, Asia: 1.5%, Africa: 0.9%, USA: 0.2%, Other countries: 0.5%, Multiple nationality: 0.1%, Not stated: 1.2% (2011)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 53.8 (2015 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 33.4 (2015 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 20.3 (2015 est.)
potential support ratio: 4.9 (2015 est.):
Population growth rate
1.11% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 98th
Birth rate
13.8 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 137th
Death rate
6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 140th
Net migration rate
4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 28th
Mother's mean age at first birth
30.7 years (2015 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Below are the 14 largest immigrant groups in the Republic of Ireland according to the 2016 census.[19]














































Country of BirthImmigrants in the Republic of Ireland (2016 Census)Poland122,515United Kingdom103,115Lithuania36,552Romania29,186Latvia19,933Brazil13,640Spain12,112Italy11,732France11,661Germany11,531India11,465United States10,519Slovakia9,717China9,575
Ethnic groups
Irish, with Norse (Scandinavian), Norman, English, French, Scottish, and Welsh, Ulster-Scots and various immigrant populations – the largest immigrant groups, with over 10,000 people, are the British, Croats, Poles, Americans, Lithuanians, Latvians, Germans, Nigerians, Indians, Pakistanis and Chinese.[20]
Ethnic backgrounds: White Irish: 82.2%, White Irish Traveller: 0.7%, Other White: 9.5% (total White: 92.4%), Asian: 2.1%, Black: 1.3%, Other: 1.5%, Not Stated: 2.6% (2016)[21]
Religions
The Republic of Ireland is a predominantly Christian country. The majority are Roman Catholic, although parts of County Donegal in Ulster, especially East Donegal and Inishowen, have a significant Protestant minority. However, the number of people who declare themselves Catholic has been declining in recent years and the number of people who are practising Catholics is smaller than the declared number.[22] As of the 2016 census, 78.3% were Catholic, a drop of 5.8% since 2011. Conversely, irreligion has almost doubled since 2011 with 9.8% declaring 'No Religion' in 2016, overtaking Protestantism as the second largest group in the state. The various Protestant and other Christian faiths represent 5.6%, Islam 1.3%, other religions 2.4% and 2.6% gave no answer.
Geographic Population Distribution
Urban population (areas with >1,500 people): 62.0% (2011)
Rural population: 38.0% (2011)
Languages
English is the most commonly used language, with 94%[23] of the population calling it their mother tongue. Irish is the first official language of the state, with 11%[23] calling it their mother tongue. Irish is the main language of the Gaeltacht regions, where 96,628 people live. Shelta and Ulster Scots are also spoken by small communities, with Ulster Scots being widely spoken in more rural areas of East Donegal and Inishowen. The main sign language used is Irish Sign Language.

Literacy
definition: age 15 and over who can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.96 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 125th
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 81 years (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 35th
male: 78.7 years (2018 est.)
female: 83.5 years (2018 est.)
See also
Republic of Ireland Census 2011
Republic of Ireland
Northern Ireland
Irish diaspora
Irish population analysis
Ireland
Stamp 4
Groups:
Black people in Ireland
Lithuanians in Ireland
Turks in Ireland
Polish minority in Ireland
Roma in Ireland
Notes