Figure1:Annualpopulationchanges between each Census 1961-2011
CENSUS OF POPULATION 2011 PRELIMINARY RESULTS Table A Change in
population 2002-2011 Year Population Actual change since previous
Census Average annual percentage change since previous Census
20023,917,203291,1161.3 20064,239,848322,6452.0
20114,581,269341,4211.6 Strong population growth
ThepreliminarytotalforthepopulationenumeratedonCensus
Night10April2011was4,581,269persons,comparedwith 4,239,848 persons
in April 2006, an increase of 341,421 persons
since2006or8.1percent.Thistranslatesintoanannual average increase
of 68,284, or 1.6 per cent.
Overthepreviousfour-yearinter-censalperiodbetween2002 and 2006 the
population increased by 322,645 persons or 2 per
centperannum,whichequatestoanannualaveragetotalof 80,661, which is
the highest on record.
-10,000010,00020,00030,00040,00050,00060,00070,00080,00090,00030
June 2011 Published by the Central Statistics Office, Ireland.
Ardee Road Skehard Road Dublin 6 Cork Ireland Ireland LoCall: 1890
313 414 Tel: +353-1 498 4000Tel: +353-21 453 5000 Fax: +353-1 498
4229Fax: +353-21 453 5555 Both offices may be contacted through any
of these telephone numbers. CSO on the Web: www.cso.ie and go to
Census: Population: Releases and Publications Director General:
Gerard O'Hanlon Census Enquiries Census Enquiries Section, LoCall:
1890 236 787 01 895 1460 [email protected] General Queries Information
Section, ext 5021 [email protected] Central Statistics Office
Thecontentsofthisreleasemaybequoted
providedthesourceisgivenclearlyand accurately. Reproduction for own
or internal use is permitted. This report presents the results of
the preliminary count of the census which was held on 10th April,
2011. The results are based on summary counts for each enumeration
area which have been compiled by 4,854 enumer at or s. Eachenumer
at or wr ot et het ot al number
ofpersons,malesandfemalesineachhouseholdontothefrontofthe census
form and then prepared a clerical summary of the total for their
area. These summaries were returned to the CSO in advance of the
census formsthemselvesandtheresultsinthisreportarebasedonthis
information.For further information contact Shaun McLaughlin on 01
895 1474. 2 Geographic changes
Thepopulationchangevariedwidelyacrossthecountry.Byfarthefastestgrowingcountyin
percentagetermswasLaoiswhichincreasedby13,399from67,059to80,458,anincreaseof20.0
percent.ThisisovertwicetheratefortheStateasawholeandsignificantlyhigherthanthenext
fastest growing county, Cavan, which increased by 13.9 per cent.
The population of Limerick City and Cork City fell by 5.0 per cent
and 0.4 per cent respectively between 2006 and 2011. However in
both cases population growth was picked up in their hinterlands,
Limerick County and Cork County, where increases of 8.3 per cent
and 10.3 per cent respectively were recorded.
OtheradministrativecountiesshowingstrongpopulationgrowthwereFingal(13.8%),Longford
(13.3%),Meath(13.0%)andKildare(12.7%).ThesecountiesarenowpartofthewiderDublin
commuter belt and all had shown strong population growth over the
previous inter-censal period 2002-2006.The fastest growing county
in absolute terms was Cork County which showed an increase of
37,339 or
10.3percent.DespitethegrowthinCorkCounty,Munsterwastheprovincewiththelowest
percentagechangeinpopulationat6.0percent,withKerry(3.7%)andLimerick(3.9%),whilestill
showing population growth, recording the lowest growth levels
across all administrative counties. Galway City (4.1%) had the
slowest growth in Connacht while Galway County showed strong growth
of 10.0 per cent. Table B Population of Regional Authority areas,
2006 and 2011 Regional Authority 2006 2011 Change in Population
2006-2011 PersonsPersonsMalesFemalesActualPercentage
Border468,375514,152256,887257,26545,7779.8
Dublin1,187,1761,270,603618,541652,06283,4277.0
Mid-East475,360530,437263,764266,67355,07711.6
Midland251,664282,195141,267140,92830,53112.1
Mid-West361,028378,410188,929189,48117,3824.8
South-East460,838497,305247,802249,50336,4677.9
South-West621,130663,176329,326333,85042,0466.8
West414,277444,991222,182222,80930,7147.4
State4,239,8484,581,2692,268,6982,312,571341,4218.1 Map 1
Population change by Regional Authority area, 2006-2011
0-5%5%-10%10%-15%AlleightNUTS3regionsrecorded
populationgrowthoverthe2006to 2011 inter-censal period.
TheMidlands(12.1%),Mid-East (11.6%)andBorder(9.8%)regions
recordedthestrongestpopulation growth with the lowest rate recorded
in the Mid-West region (4.8%).
BorderWestMidlandMid-EastSouth-EastSouth-WestMid-WestDublin 3 Map 2
Population change by county 2006-2011 4 Electoral Divisions The
most detailed administrative areas associated with these
preliminary census results are Electoral
Divisions(EDs).Thetablespresentedbelowprovideasummaryofthetop20EDsintermsof
population growth and decline. Of the 3,440 EDs, over 700 showed
population increases in excess of 15 per cent, while a further 550
showedincreasesabove10percent.Populationfallswererecordedinjustunder900EDs.Thisis
illustrated figuratively in Map 3. The fastest growing ED in the
country was Balbriggan Rural, followed by Lucan-Esker. The EDs with
the largest fall in population were Limerick North Rural and
Mionlach. Full details for all 3,440 EDs are available on
http://www.cso.ie/census/2011_preliminaryreport.htm. . Table C Top
10 Electoral Divisions ordered by population increase, 2006-2011
Electoral DivisionCounty Population 2006 Population 2011 Actual
change Percentage change 1Balbriggan
RuralFingal9,61515,1465,53157.5 2Lucan-EskerSouth
Dublin25,82829,8263,99815.5 3GlencullenDn Laoghaire-Rathdown
13,92517,8643,93928.3
4Blanchardstown-BlakestownFingal32,28835,9703,68211.4
5Portlaoighise RuralLaois County11,07514,6143,53932.0 6North Dock
BDublin City3,6906,8433,15385.4 7Tallaght-JobstownSouth
Dublin1351716,6163,09922.9 8KilcooleWicklow
County6,8329,8393,00744.0 9The WardFingal5,1818,1813,00057.9
10Navan RuralMeath County2368326,6752,99212.6 . Table D Top 10
Electoral Divisions ordered by population decrease, 2006-2011
Electoral DivisionCounty Population 2006 Population 2011 Actual
change Percentage change 1Limerick North RuralLimerick
City7,2516,454-797-11.0 2MionlachGalway City5,7524,996-756-13.1
3Mountjoy BDublin City3,4462,703-743-21.6 4Galvone BLimerick
City1,574883-691-43.9 5Tralee UrbanKerry County5,4564,852-604-11.1
6Ballymun DDublin City3,5222,924-598-17.0 7BallynantyLimerick
City3,4682,916-552-15.9 8DanganGalway City4,2063,671-535-12.7
9Killarney UrbanKerry County10,1949,671-523-5.1
10Tallaght-KilnamanaghSouth Dublin4,9454,456-489-9.9 5 Map 3 -
Percentage change in the population of Electoral Divisions, 2006 -
2011 6 Map 4 - Percentage change in the population of Electoral
Divisions within County Dublin, 2006-2011 Recent developments along
North Wall Quay and around the Grand Canal basin are clearly
illustrated in the map above, as are developments in Balgriffin,
Glencullen and Lucan-Esker. Notable population decreases can be
seen in Ballymun, Tallaght and Portmarnock. 7 Map 5 - Population
density per square kilometer of Electoral Divisions, 2011 8
Population by Constituency Table 3 on page 28 provides the 2006 and
2011 populations along with the number of TDs in each of the 43 Dil
constituencies as defined in the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 4) Act
2009. The table shows the percentage change in the population of
each of the constituencies as well as the average number of persons
per TD based on the preliminary population figures contained in
this report. Based on these preliminary census results, the
constituency of Dublin North, which covers the areas
ofBalbriggan,Donabate,Lusk,RushandSwordsshowedthelargestpopulationincreasebetween
2006 and 2011 at 16.1 per cent; with the average number of persons
per TD now standing at 28,536.
ThetwoneighbouringconstituenciesofMeath-East(12.9%)andMeath-West(11.9%)alsoshowed
strong increases. Meath-East, on the basis of these preliminary
results, now has 28,844 persons per TD while Meath-West showed an
increase of 11.9 per cent and has 28,494 persons per TD.
Onlyoneconstituency(DublinNorth-Central)hasshownafallinpopulationsincethe2006census
(down 1.2 per cent) and now has 24,789 persons per TD. Two
constituencies now have more than the prescribed maximum of 30,000
persons per TD, namely
KildareSouth(30,092)andLaois-Offaly(30,565).Therearefiveconstituencieswherethereare
between29,000and30,000personsperTDandanadditionalelevenconstituencieswherethe
number of persons per TD are in the range 28,000 to 29,000.. The
map on the adjacent page shows the population per TD of
constituencies. Key to Constituency Map 01Carlow-Kilkenny23 Galway
East 02Cavan-Monaghan24 Galway West 03Clare25 Kerry North-West
Limerick 04Cork East26 Kerry South 05Cork North-Central27 Kildare
North 06Cork North-West28 Kildare South 07Cork South-Central29
Laois-Offaly 08Cork South-West30 Limerick City 09Donegal
North-East31 Limerick 10Donegal South-West32 Longford-Westmeath
11Dublin Central33 Louth 12Dublin Mid-West34 Mayo 13Dublin North35
Meath East 14Dublin North-Central36 Meath West 15Dublin
North-East37 Roscommon-South Leitrim 16Dublin North-West38
Sligo-North Leitrim 17Dublin South39 Tipperary North 18Dublin
South-Central40 Tipperary South 19Dublin South-East41 Waterford
20Dublin South-West42 Wexford 21Dublin West43 Wicklow 22Dn
Laoighaire 9 Map 6 Population per TD in each constituency, 2011 10
Components of population change Historical context
Toputtherecentchangesinahistoricalcontext,TableEshowsthecomponentsofpopulation
change, expressed in the form of average annual figures, for each
inter-censal period since 1926. Table E - Average annual births,
deaths, natural increase and estimated net migration for each
inter-censal period, 1926-2011 PeriodBirthsDeaths Natural increase
Change in population Estimated net migration Thousands 1926
19365842160-17 1936 1946604317-1-19 1946 19516640261-24 1951
1956633627-12-39 1956 1961613426-16-42 1961 196663332913-16 1966
197163333019-11 1971 19796933354914 1979 198173334038-3 1981
198667333419-14 1986 1991563224-3-27 1991 1996503118202 1996
20025431234926 2002 20066128338148 2006 20117328456824 Natural
increase, the number of births in the State minus the number of
deaths, has been positive over
theperiod1926-2011.Themostrecentinter-censalperiod(2006-2011)showsthehighestnatural
increase at 45,000 persons per annum, with 73,000 births and 28,000
deaths1. The previous peak of
40,000perannumwasduringthe1979-1981periodwhichhadasimilarhighnumberofbirths,but
these were offset by a higher number of deaths (33,000).
Netmigrationhasbeenmorevolatilethannaturalincreaseovertheperiod1926-2011.Netoutward
migration has been the norm for most of that time, with a peak of
-42,000 per annum between 1956-1961. The years 1971-1979 had net
inward migration of 14,000 per year, but the 1980s saw the return
of net outward migration.
Since1991,eachinter-censalperiodhasshownnetinwardmigration,whichpeakedat48,000per
annumduring2002-2006.Populationgrowthalsopeakedat81,000perannumduringthis4year
period. 1 The data for births and deaths relate to events
registered in the five year period ended 31 March 2011. The figures
for the first quarter of 2011 are provisional. 11 Natural increase
ThecensustotalisacountofthenumberofpersonsactuallyintheStateoncensusnight.The
change in population between two censuses reflects the effect of
births and deaths and of movements of persons into and out of the
State during the relevant period.
Birthsanddeathscombinedgivethenaturalincreaseinthepopulation.Withbirthsof363,500and
deaths of 140,700 over the relevant five year period the resulting
natural increase between 2006 and 2011 was 222,800 or 5.3 per cent
of the 2006population over the five years. This is extremely strong
by international comparisons2. All administrative counties
experienced positive natural increase in the inter-censal period
2006-2011
withtherateshighestintheadministrativecountieswiththeyoungestageprofilesasperthe2006
Censusresults(Fingal,SouthDublin,KildareandMeath).TheareaswiththelowestrateswereRoscommon
, Mayo and Cork City. Figure 2 Natural increase by County,
2006-2011 2 The rates of natural change per 1,000 population in the
EU27 was 1.0 in 2007 and 1.2 in 2008.The corresponding rates for
Ireland were 9.8 and 10.4 respectively 0510152025 FingalCork
CountySouth DublinDublin CityKildareMeathGalway
CountyWicklowDunLaoghaire RathdownWexf ordLimerick
CountyLouthDonegalClareLaoisWestmeathKerryKilkennyGalway CityOf f
alyMayoCavanCarlowSouth TipperaryNorth TipperaryWaterf ord
CountyCork CityWaterf ord CitySligoMonaghanLimerick CityLongf
ordRoscommonLeitrimThousands 12 Net migration
Thetotalchangeinthepopulationbetweensuccessivecensusesisthecombinedeffectofnatural
increase and net migration, which is a measure of the movements of
persons into and out of the State
duringtherelevantperiod.Asthenaturalincreaseisknown,thedifferencebetweenthisandtotal
population change is taken as net migration.
Thisresidualfigurehoweveralsoreflects,implicitly,theneteffectofnon-migratorymovements(i.e.
changebetweensuccessivecensusesinthelevelofvisitorsintheState,orinthelevelofIrish
residents temporarily abroad on census night) and of any other
factors such as marginal variations in census coverage achieved.
Takingthesefactorsintoaccount,andgiventhatthepopulationfigurepresentedispreliminaryfor
2011, users should treat the net migration estimate with caution
until a greater level of analysis can be
conductedontheactualCensusreturns.Inparticularanexaminationoftheoneyearflowsanda
cohort analysis based on a number of key demographic variables such
as age, gender and nationality is required before a more definitive
picture of migration patterns can be extracted.
BetweenCensus2006andCensus2011theestimatednetmigrationmeasuredinthiswayis
118,650, which represents an annual average inflow of 23,730. This
compares with the previous inter-censal annual average figure of
47,832.
Unlikethe2002-2006inter-censalperiod,wheretherewasaclearpatternofnetinwardmigration
acrosseachofthefouryearsconcerned,thepatternoverthe2006to2011periodismarkedly
different. Ireland continued to experience strong net inward
migration for the first half of the latest inter-censal period
followed by a switch to net outward migration over the second half.
13 The effect of migration on population change While the natural
increase of the population has been steadily positive over the past
50 years the large swings in net migration have had a strong effect
on overall population growth, as illustrated in Figure 3.
Netoutwardmigrationhasvariedconsiderablyoverthepast50years.Strongoutwardmigration
during the 1950s led to a population low point of 2.8 million being
recorded in the 1961 Census. Net migration then remained negative
throughout the 1960s. Net inward migration appeared briefly for the
first time in the 1970s with an annual average of 14,000
between1971and1979.Thisquicklyrevertedtonetoutwardmigrationagainthroughoutthe1980s
with a record low point of 44,000 in 1989.
Theturnaroundbeganinthe1991-1996inter-censalperiod,withsmallpositiveinflowsleadingupto
thepeaknetinwardmigrationperiodof2002to2006whenderivednetinwardmigrationmeasured
191,000 for the four year period (or 47,800 on annual average
basis). It has now fallen back again for this inter-censal period
to 118,650 or an annual average of 23,730.
Figure 3 Components of population change (average annual
figures)for each inter-censal period, 1956-2011
-40-30-20-100102030405060708056-61 61-66 66-71 71-79 79-81 81-86
86-91 91-96 96-02 02-06 06-11ThousandsIntercensal
periodNaturalincreasePopulation changeNet migration 14 County net
migration
Bydeductingthenaturalincreaseinpopulationatcountylevelfromthecorrespondingpopulation
changeitispossibletoderivecountynetmigrationfigures.Itisimportanttonotethatthesefigures
represent not only the net movement of all persons into and out of
the county from abroad but also the net movements between counties
in Ireland.
Alladministrativecounties,apartfromthefourprovincialcitiesandSouthDublin,experiencedsome
levelofnetinwardmigrationbetween2006and2011.Thisvariedindegreefromahighof23.5per
thousandofaveragepopulationoverthefiveyearperiodinLaois,tothesmallerinflowof0.9per
thousand in Dublin City. Limerick City on the other hand
experienced the highest net outflow over the
fiveyearperiodof17.2perthousandofitspopulation,whileWaterfordCityrecordedanetoutward
migration figure of 6.7 per thousand.
Itisillustrativetocharthowthecombinationofnaturalincreaseandnetmigrationaffectedthe
population change in each county and this is represented in Figure
4.
ThecountiesintheupperrightquadrantofFigure4(Laois,Fingal,Kildare,andMeath)experienced
high rates of net inward migration and natural increase. These
trends have resulted from rapid housing
developmentandarelativelylargenumberofbirthsbecauseofthehighproportionofyoungfamily
households in these counties.
Ontheotherhand,someofthecountiesinthebottomleftquadrant(Limerick,Cork,Waterfordand
Galwaycities)experiencednegativenetmigrationandrelativelylownaturalincreaseinpopulation.
Thefactorsresponsibleforthesetrendsaretherelativelylowlevelofnewhousingandanageing
population. At a regional level, the Mid-East no longer has the
highest rate of net inward migration, and has fallen behind the
Midland and Border regions. This represents the expansion of
Dublins commuter belt into these regions. 15Figure 4 Natural
increase and estimated net migration per 1,000 of average
population for each County and City, 2006-2011 The following
additions have been made to the abbreviations used for motor
vehicle registration: DR Dn Laoghaire-Rathdown, F Fingal, DS Dublin
South, CC Cork County and GC Galway County.
CWDDSFDRKEKKLSLDLHMHOYWHWXWWCECCCKYLLKTNTSWWDGGCLMMORNSOCNDLMN0 2 4
6 8101214161820151050510152025N a t u r a l i n c r e a s eNet
migration 16 Population breakdown by sex As the preliminary
population data is captured for both males and females separately,
the sex ratio of the population (males per 1,000 females) is
available at State, regional and county level.
Havingindicatedamaleexcessforovertwentyyearsfrom1961to1981,thesexratiobeganto
declinesteadilyfrom1986onwardsshowingfewermalesthanfemalesineachcensus;itreacheda
lowpointin1996with986malesforevery1,000females.In2006itchangeddirectionagainand
showed marginally more males than females. It has now reversed
again and these preliminary results
show43,864morefemalesthanmalesoverallintheState,resultinginasexratioof981malesfor
every 1,000 females.
Onaregionalbasis,Dublinhadthelowestratiowithonly949malesforevery1,000females.The
Midland was the only region to show more males than females with
1,002 for every 1,000. Figure 5 Sex ratio at each Census, 1961-2011
980 985 990 995 1000 1005 1010 1015
102019611966197119791981198619911996200220062011Males per 1,000
females 17 Housing Total housing stock
Housingnumbers(dwellings)haveincreasedmorerapidlythantotalpopulationbetween2006and
2011,witha13.3percentincreaseindwellingscomparedwith8.1percentforthepopulation.The
number of dwellings increased by 234,562 from 1,769,613 in 2006 to
2,004,175 in 2011, representing an annual average increase of
46,912.
ThelargestpercentageincreaseinhouseholdswasseeninLaois(21.2%)followedbyCavan,
Donegal, Leitrim and Longford which all showed increases of above
19 per cent. Limerick County and the five cities all showed the
lowest increases. Figure 6 Percentage increase in the number of
dwellings by county, 2006- 2011 0 5 10 15 20
25LaoisCavanDonegalLeitrimLongf ordRoscommonLimerick
CityMonaghanWexf ordCarlowSligoGalway CountyKildareFingalCork
CountyMeathKilkennyClareKerryNorth TipperaryLouthMayoOf f alySouth
TipperaryWestmeathWaterf ord CountyDunLaoghaire
RathdownWicklowSouth DublinGalway CityWaterf ord CityCork
CityDublin CityLimerick County 18 Vacant dwellings
The2006CensusprovidedfiguresforthefirsttimeonvacantdwellingsinIrelandandthedata
showedthat15.0percentofallhousingwasvacantinApril2006.ThesePreliminaryResultsshow
that the total number of vacant dwellings in 2011 has increased by
27,880 from 266,322 to 294,202.As the total housing stock has also
increased since 2006 by 13.3 per cent higher than the 10.5 per cent
increase in vacant dwellings the overall vacancy rate (i.e. the
percentage of dwellings that are vacant) has therefore fallen
slightly to 14.7 per cent.
Thevacancyratevarieswidelyacrossthecountry,withLeinstersratefallingfrom11.6percentto
10.6 since 2006. The vacancy rate in Connacht fell slightly from
21.4 to 21.3 per cent, while Munster and Ulster saw their rates
rise over the past five years. With 30.4 per cent of housing units
vacant, Leitrim remains the county with the highest vacancy rate
followedbyDonegal(28.5%),Kerry(26.5%)andMayo(24.8%).ThevacancyrateforDublinCity
shows that one in ten dwellings in the capital were vacant at the
time of the census in April 2011. Figure 7 Vacant dwellings as a
percentage of total housing stock by county, 2011 0 5 10 15 20 25
30 35South DublinFingalDunLaoghaire
RathdownKildareMeathWicklowDublin CityGalwayCityCork
CityOffalyKilkennyLouthLimerick CountyLaoisSouth TipperaryLimerick
CityMonaghanWestmeathCarlowNorth TipperaryWaterford CityCork
CountyWaterford
CountyGalwayCountyWexfordClareLongfordCavanSligoRoscommonMayoKerryDonegalLeitrim
19 Map 7 Percentage of dwellings vacant in each Electoral Division,
2011 20 Tables Table NoPage 1Population of each Province, County
and City and actual and percentage change, 2006 and 2011 21
2Population of each Province and County,
1926-20112APopulation222BActual change in Population242CPercentage
change in population26 3Persons in each Constituency, as defined in
the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 4) Act 2009 for elections to Dil
ireann 28 4Components of population change for each Regional
Authority area, 2006-201129 5Components of population change for
each Province, County and City, 2006-201130 6Average annual rate of
estimated net migration (inward less outward) per 1,000 of average
population in each inter-censal period 1956-2011 32 7Total housing
stock, vacant dwellings and vacancy rate, 2006 and 201133 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 Background Notes A Census of
Population was taken on the night of Sunday, 10 April 2011, in
accordance with the Statistics (Census of Population) Order 2010
(S.I. No. 207 of 2010)3. This Report contains provisional results
which are based on summaries returned by each of the 4,854 census
enumerators. As these results are subject to revision they do not
have any statutory force. Coverage of the Census The census figures
relate to the de facto population i.e. the population recorded for
each area represents the total of all persons present within its
boundaries on the night of Sunday, 10 April 2011, together with
allpersonswhoarrivedinthatareaonthemorningofMonday,11April2011,nothavingbeen
enumeratedelsewhere.Personsonboardshipsinportareincludedwiththepopulationofadjacent
areas.Thefigures,therefore,includevisitorspresentonCensusNightaswellasthoseinresidence,
while usual residents temporarily absent from the area are
excluded.
Thedateofthecensuswaschosentocoincidewithaperiodwhenpassengermovementswereata
minimumand,consequently,thefigurescloselyapproximatetothoseforthenormallyresident
population. Members of the Defence Forces who, on Census Night,
were serving abroad with the United Nations were excluded from the
enumeration. Conduct of the Census
Atemporaryfieldforceconsistingof6CensusLiaisonOfficers,44RegionalSupervisors,438Field
Supervisors and some 4,854 part-time enumerators carried out the
census enumeration. During the four weeks before Census Day the
enumerators entered details in respect of 2 million private
residences and communal establishments in their enumerator record
books. They simultaneously delivered blank census
questionnairesto1.65millionofthesedwellingsthatwereexpectedtobeoccupiedonCensusNight.
Approximately295,000residenceswerevacantatthetimeofthecensus,whileintheremainingcases
the household was either enumeratedelsewhere or temporarily absent
from the State. The collection of completed questionnaires took
place between Monday 11 April and Friday 13 May, 2011.
TheCentralStatisticsOffice(CSO)wishestorecorditsappreciationofthepublic-spiritedco-operation
received from households and the work carried out by the census
field force.
Eachenumeratorwasrequiredtoprepareasummaryofthepopulationenumeratedinhis/her
enumerationarea.TheseclericalsummarieswerereturnedtotheCSOinadvanceofthemainbodyof
the census field records and it is from these summaries that this
Preliminary Report has been prepared. Dissemination of the
definitive population figures, analysing the population by such
factors as age, marital status, occupation, etc., will commence in
March 2012. Vacant Dwellings
Inidentifyingvacantdwellings,enumeratorswereinstructedtolookforsignsthatthedwellingwasnot
occupied e.g. no furniture, no cars outside, junk mail
accumulating, overgrown garden etc., and to find out
fromneighbourswhetheritwasvacantornot.Itwasnotsufficienttoclassifyadwellingasvacantafter
one or two visits. Similar precautions were also taken before
classifying holiday homes. Dwellings under construction and
derelict properties are not included in the count of vacant
dwellings. In order to be classified as under construction, the
dwelling had to be unfit for habitation because the roof, doors,
windows or walls had not yet been built or installed.
3TheStatistics(CensusofPopulation)Order2010wasmadebytheTaoiseachinpursuanceofpowersconferredonhimby
section 25 (1) of the Statistics Act 1993 (No. 21 of 1993). 35
Administrative and Census Areas There are many different geographic
divisions of the country. Those which were used in the 2011 Census
of Population are described below. All the areas are as defined at
the date of the census. Small Areas The enumeration of Census 2011
was organised using Small Areas, which are a new administrative
unit developed by the National Institute for Regional and Spatial
Analysis (NIRSA) at the behest of Ordnance
SurveyIreland(OSi)andincollaborationwiththeCSO.Thereareapproximately19,000SmallAreas
containing,onaverage,between75150households.TheSmallAreasnestwithinexistingElectoral
Divisions. Each enumerator was assigned an area averaging 420
dwellings consisting of 3-4 Small Areas. Electoral Divisions (EDs)
ThesmallestadministrativeareaforwhichpopulationstatisticsarepublishedistheElectoralDivision
(formerlycalledDistrictElectoralDivision).InruralareaseachElectoralDivisionconsistsofan
aggregation of entire townlands. There are 3,440 Electoral
Divisions in the State and their populations are available on the
CSO website at http://www.cso.ie/census/2011_preliminaryreport.htm.
Town and Rural Districts Electoral Divisions are aggregated to give
Towns (or Cities where appropriate) and Rural Districts which, in
turn, build up to counties. The Rural Districts, which numbered
160, were abolished as administrative areas in 1925 (in the case of
Rural Districts in County Dublin, in 1930) but have been retained
for census
purposesasconvenientgeographicalentities,intermediateinsizebetweenElectoralDivisionsand
Counties. They are termed rural areas in the present report.
Counties and Cities
Inthecensusreportsthecountryisdividedinto29CountiesandfiveCities.InDublin,fourareasare
identified separately, i.e. Dublin City and the three
Administrative Counties of Dn Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South
Dublin. Outside Dublin there are 26 administrative counties (North
Tipperary and South
Tipperaryareseparatecountiesforadministrativepurposes)andfourCities,i.e.Cork,Limerick,
Waterford and Galway.
TheboundariesoftheCitiesaresubjecttoperiodicextensionstokeeppacewithbuildingdevelopment
anditisnotpossible,therefore,toshowcomparableretrospectivepopulationfiguresoveranextended
period. Counties, on the other hand, have only been affected to a
very minor extent by boundary changes
anditispossibletocomparecountypopulations(includingtheappropriateCities)overalongperiodof
time. This is done in Table 2, which shows county population
figures for each census year from 1926 to 2011. Dil Constituencies
For the purpose of elections to Dil ireann the country is divided
into Constituencies which, under Article 16.4 of the Constitution
of Ireland, have to be revised at least once every twelve years
with due regard to
changesinthedistributionofthepopulation.TheConstituencieswerelastrevisedin2009andthe
ScheduletotheElectoral(Amendment)Act2009(No.4of2009)containsdetailsoftheircomposition.
The 2011 population figures for these areas are given in Table 3.
Maps All maps in this release are Ordnance Survey Ireland. All
rights reserved. License number 01/05/001. 36 Regional Authorities
(NUTS3 Regions)
Thegeographicalsub-divisionsusedinTable4arebasedonRegionalAuthorities.Theseeightregions
were established under the Local Government Act 1991, Regional
Authorities Establishment Order 1993 which came into operation on 1
January 1994.
Name of regionConstituent counties Type of area
BorderCavanAdministrative county DonegalAdministrative county
LeitrimAdministrative county LouthAdministrative county
MonaghanAdministrative county SligoAdministrative county
DublinDublinCity Dn Laoghaire-RathdownAdministrative county
FingalAdministrative county South DublinAdministrative county
Mid-EastKildareAdministrative county MeathAdministrative county
WicklowAdministrative county MidlandLaoisAdministrative county
LongfordAdministrative county OffalyAdministrative county
WestmeathAdministrative county Mid-WestClareAdministrative county
LimerickCity LimerickAdministrative county North Tipperary
Administrative county South-EastCarlowAdministrative county
KilkennyAdministrative county South Tipperary Administrative county
WaterfordCity WaterfordAdministrative county WexfordAdministrative
county South-WestCorkCity CorkAdministrative county
KerryAdministrative county WestGalwayCity GalwayAdministrative
county MayoAdministrative county RoscommonAdministrative county