The island of Ireland, marked by exodus and population decline for most of the last 200 years, now finds itself in an era of demographic renewal. For the first time since the Famine, the population of the island exceeds seven million. This is a landmark moment, not just in statistical terms but in historical resonance. It signals a new chapter in the island’s story, one that brings both promise and pressing challenges.
According to a joint analysis by the Central Statistics Office and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, the population of the island grew by 26 per cent between 2002 and 2022. That growth has been uneven: the Republic’s population surged by 31 per cent, while Northern Ireland’s grew by a more modest 13 per cent. The Republic now stands at just over 5.1 million people, the North at 1.9 million.
These differences reveal diverging social, economic, and migratory trends. In the Republic, immigration has played a transformative role. Northern Ireland has seen slower growth, with a markedly older demographic profile. Racial and ethnic diversity has also grown more markedly south of the Border. These demographic shifts, while bringing new vibrancy and diversity, also demand inclusive policy planning, especially in education, housing and public services.
Nowhere is the impact of this growth felt more acutely than in housing. In the Republic, over two million permanent dwellings exist but more than 240,000 are officially listed as unoccupied, a figure long disputed and still in need of closer scrutiny. Meanwhile, fewer than one in 10 homes are provided by local authorities or voluntary housing bodies, far below the North’s 15 per cent.
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The story has a spatial dimension, with some areas – Fingal in north Dublin, Castlereagh in Co Down – experiencing rapid growth while parts of Donegal and north Antrim stagnate. Managing these imbalances requires all-island strategies.
The challenges ahead in housing, transport, healthcare, education, integration and sustainability cannot be resolved in silos. Too often, the island’s two jurisdictions have approached common problems in parallel, sometimes at cross-purposes. The pressures of demographic expansion demand deeper co-ordination.
Infrastructure, in particular, cries out for harmonisation. From the Derry-Donegal corridor to cross-border public transport, digital connectivity and energy networks, the case for North-South alignment is pragmatic, not political. Effective planning rooted in shared data and shared goals is the best defence against fragmentation and waste.
Ireland has turned a demographic corner, returning to a population last seen before the trauma of the 1840s. The opportunity is clear; so too is the responsibility to meet the moment together.
