

Topic: Introduction
Background: Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600 and 150 B.C., followed by Norsemen in the late 8th century. Anglo-Norman invasions began in the 12th century. The modern Irish state broke from the UK in 1921.Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600 and 150 B.C., followed by Norsemen in the late 8th century. Anglo-Norman invasions began in the 12th century. The modern Irish state broke from the UK in 1921.

Topic: Geography
Area: total: 70,273 sq km

land: 68,883 sq km

water: 1,390 sq km
Climate: temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
Natural resources: natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite

Topic: People and Society
Population: 5,275,004 (2022 est.)
Ethnic groups: Irish 82.2%, Irish travelers 0.7%, other White 9.5%, Asian 2.1%, Black 1.4%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2.6% (2016 est.)
Languages: English (official, the language generally used), Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official, spoken by approximately 39.8% of the population as of 2016; mainly spoken in areas along Ireland's western coast known as gaeltachtai, which are officially recognized regions where Irish is the predominant language)
Religions: Roman Catholic 78.3%, Church of Ireland 2.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Orthodox 1.3%, Muslim 1.3%, other 2.4%, none 9.8%, unspecified 2.6% (2016 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.94% (2022 est.)

Topic: Government
Government type: parliamentary republic
Capital: name: Dublin
Executive branch: chief of state: President Michael D. HIGGINS (since 11 November 2011)

head of government: Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál MARTIN (since 27 June 2020); note - MARTIN will serve through December 2022 and will then be succeeded by Leo VARADKAR 
Legislative branch: description: bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of:
Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats; 49 members indirectly elected from 5 vocational panels of nominees by an electoral college, 11 appointed by the prime minister
House of Representatives or Dail Eireann (160 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; all Parliament members serve 5-year terms)

Topic: Economy
Economic overview: strong, export-based EU economy; multinational-business-friendly environment known for resilience, even amid COVID-19 disruptions; real wage growth beyond other OECD members; high livings standards; strong social equity and cohesion; aging labor forcestrong, export-based EU economy; multinational-business-friendly environment known for resilience, even amid COVID-19 disruptions; real wage growth beyond other OECD members; high livings standards; strong social equity and cohesion; aging labor force
Real GDP (purchasing power parity): $447.97 billion (2020 est.)
Real GDP per capita: $89,700 (2020 est.)
Agricultural products: milk, barley, beef, wheat, potatoes, pork, oats, poultry, mushrooms/truffles, mutton
Industries: pharmaceuticals, chemicals, computer hardware and software, food products, beverages and brewing; medical devices
Exports: $502.31 billion (2019 est.)
Exports - partners: United States 28%, Belgium 10%, Germany 10%, UK 9%, China 5%, Netherlands 5% (2019)
Exports - commodities: medical cultures/vaccines, nitrogen compounds, packaged medicines, integrated circuits, scented mixtures (2019)
Imports: $452.98 billion (2019 est.)
Imports - partners: United Kingdom 31%, United States 16%, Germany 10%, Netherlands 5%, France 5% (2019)
Imports - commodities: aircraft, computers, packaged medicines, refined petroleum, medical cultures/vaccines (2019)Page last updated: Thursday, May 12, 2022