Ireland data questions answered
The 15 questions people search most about Ireland's official figures, each answered from the body that publishes them, with a link to check the latest number yourself.
What is the inflation rate in Ireland?
Consumer prices in Ireland rose by 4.1% in the 12 months to September 2026, up from 3.7% in the year to August, according to the Central Statistics Office's Consumer Price Index September 2026, published on 8 October 2026. The CSO says this was the highest CPI rate since January 2024. Excluding energy and unprocessed food, prices rose 3.1%, and the largest annual increase was in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (+9.5%).
The CPI is Ireland's national measure. The CSO also publishes the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), the EU-comparable measure that the European Central Bank uses for its 2% euro-area target, so check which index a figure refers to. A flash HICP estimate appears at the end of each month, ahead of the full CPI.
What is the population of Ireland?
Ireland's usually resident population was an estimated 5,525,600 in April 2026, according to the CSO's Population and Migration Estimates, April 2026, published on 24 August 2026. Dublin accounted for 1,597,700 people (28.9%), and 891,100 people were aged 65 or over, 165,000 more than in 2020.
These are annual estimates for April, rolled forward from the 2022 census using births, deaths and migration. The CSO revises them once new census results are available, so a figure for an earlier year can change. The next census is due in April/May 2027.
What is the unemployment rate in Ireland?
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Ireland was 5.0% in September 2026, unchanged from August and up from 4.9% a year earlier, according to the CSO's Monthly Unemployment September 2026. The CSO put the number of unemployed people at 149,500. The rate for people aged 15 to 24 was 12.5%.
The monthly figure is a flash estimate built from Department of Social Protection records and Labour Force Survey forecasts. The CSO states that it is not the official measure; the quarterly Labour Force Survey is, and monthly figures are revised when each new survey quarter arrives.
What is Ireland's GDP?
Ireland's gross domestic product grew by 10.2% in the second quarter of 2026, while modified domestic demand (MDD) fell by 0.8%, according to the CSO's Quarterly National Accounts Quarter 2 2026, published on 4 September 2026. The CSO's summary puts GDP at €149.7 billion in the quarter. Multinational-dominated sectors grew 11.2% and domestic sectors 0.7%.
Irish GDP is strongly affected by the activities of multinational companies, so the CSO also publishes MDD and modified gross national income (GNI*) as measures of the domestic economy. Quarterly figures are seasonally adjusted and are revised in later releases and in the annual National Income and Expenditure accounts.
What is the average salary in Ireland?
Average weekly earnings in Ireland were €1,046.88 in the second quarter of 2026, up 3.9% from €1,007.58 a year earlier, according to the CSO's Earnings and Labour Costs Q1 2026 (Final) Q2 2026 (Preliminary Estimates), published on 25 August 2026. Average hourly earnings were €31.96, and average paid hours were 32.8 a week.
This is a mean across all employees, including part-time workers, so it is not the same as a typical full-time salary; a few high earners raise the mean. Q2 2026 figures are preliminary and will be finalised in the next release. From Q1 2026 the series uses the NACE Rev. 2.1 sector classification. The CSO's separate annual Earnings Analysis using administrative data gives median earnings.
What is the average house price in Ireland?
The median price of a dwelling bought in Ireland in the 12 months to August 2026 was €400,000, according to the CSO's Residential Property Price Index August 2026, published on 13 October 2026. The national index rose 5.1% over the year, with prices up 3.9% in Dublin and 6.2% outside Dublin. The highest county-area median was €685,000 in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and the lowest €199,000 in Longford.
The index is built from stamp-duty filings with the Revenue Commissioners for household purchases at market prices, so it reflects completed sales rather than asking prices. It is mix-adjusted, which is why its growth rate can differ from the change in the median price.
What is the average rent in Ireland?
The standardised average rent for new tenancies in Ireland was €1,839 a month in the first quarter of 2026, up 9.1% on a year earlier, according to the Residential Tenancies Board's Rent Index Q1 2026. For existing tenancies the average was €1,513, up 4.2%, which the RTB says is the lowest rate since its existing-tenancies index began.
The RTB compiles the index with the ESRI from tenancies registered with the RTB, and standardises it for property type, size and location. New tenancies show what people moving now pay; existing tenancies show what sitting tenants pay. All quarterly reports and the data are on the RTB Rent Index page.
What is the minimum wage in Ireland in 2026?
Since 1 January 2026 the national minimum wage in Ireland is €14.15 an hour for workers aged 20 and over, according to Citizens Information, the State's public information service. Lower rates apply to younger workers: €12.74 at 19, €11.32 at 18 and €9.91 under 18.
The rate is set each year by government order after a recommendation from the Low Pay Commission, and changes usually take effect on 1 January. Some payments count towards the minimum, such as shift premiums and set amounts for board and lodgings, while others, such as overtime premiums, do not. Close relatives and statutory apprentices are outside the scheme.
What is the interest rate in Ireland?
Ireland uses the euro, so its policy interest rates are set by the European Central Bank. The ECB's key interest rates page shows the deposit facility rate at 2.50%, the main refinancing rate at 2.65% and the marginal lending rate at 2.90%, with effect from 16 September 2026. These followed an increase that took effect on 17 June 2026.
The deposit facility rate is the one the ECB uses to signal its stance. Mortgage and savings rates charged by Irish banks are published monthly by the Central Bank of Ireland in its retail interest rate statistics; these move with ECB rates but with a lag and vary by product.
What is Ireland's national debt?
Ireland's gross general government debt was €209.9 billion at the end of 2025, or 34.8% of GDP, down from €215.6 billion (38.4%) in 2024, according to the CSO's Government Finance Statistics Annual, October 2026 provisional results, published on 5 October 2026. The CSO reports a government surplus of €10.7 billion (1.8% of GDP) for 2025. Its quarterly release put debt at €215.4 billion (37% of GDP) at the end of Q1 2026.
These figures follow EU rules for the Maastricht debt measure. Because Irish GDP is inflated by multinational activity, debt is also often compared with GNI*, which gives a higher ratio. Net debt subtracts the State's financial assets.
What is the poverty rate in Ireland?
12.6% of people in Ireland were at risk of poverty in 2025, up from 11.7% in 2024, and 4.7% were in consistent poverty, down from 5.0%, according to the CSO's Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2025, published on 11 March 2026. Median household disposable income was €61,666.
'At risk of poverty' means equivalised income below 60% of the national median. 'Consistent poverty' is Ireland's official target measure: people who are both at risk of poverty and experiencing enforced deprivation. SILC 2025 incomes relate to calendar year 2024, and the CSO estimates the at-risk rate would have been 14.9% without cost-of-living measures.
What is the birth rate in Ireland?
54,125 births were registered in Ireland in 2025, down from 65,909 in 2015, and the fertility rate was 1.5, compared with 1.9 in 2015, according to the CSO's Vital Statistics Yearly Summary 2025, published on 2 June 2026. The average age of first-time mothers was 31.8 years. There were 35,587 deaths registered in 2025.
These counts are by date of registration, not date of occurrence, so a year's total can include late registrations from earlier years. The fertility rate is the average number of children a woman would have at current age-specific rates; about 2.1 is the level usually cited for a population to replace itself without migration.
What is net migration to Ireland?
Net migration to Ireland was +48,100 in the year to April 2026, made up of 110,600 immigrants and 62,500 emigrants, according to the CSO's Population and Migration Estimates, April 2026. 30,200 Irish citizens returned to live in Ireland while 35,400 left. Non-Irish citizens numbered 931,000, or 16.8% of the population.
The CSO estimates migration from the Labour Force Survey and administrative data such as PPSN records, and revises the figures after each census. Immigration counts people who arrived to live in Ireland for at least a year; it is not the same as visa or international protection statistics published by the Department of Justice.
When is the next census in Ireland?
Ireland's next census will be held in April/May 2027, according to the CSO's Census 2027 page. The CSO says it will be the first Irish census with an online form, and it will count the usually resident population over the five weeks before census date, rather than everyone present on a single census night.
The most recent census was held in 2022, and its results remain the base for the CSO's annual population estimates, which put the usually resident population at 5,525,600 in April 2026. The change from a 'de facto' to a usual-residence count means 2027 totals will need care when compared with earlier censuses.
How many TDs are in the Dáil?
The 34th Dáil, elected in November 2024, has 174 seats, according to the Houses of the Oireachtas list of TDs. That compares with 160 seats in the 33rd Dáil. The Oireachtas site lists every TD by constituency and party, with links to their votes, debates and parliamentary questions.
Dáil seat numbers are set by law after a review of constituencies by the Electoral Commission, which must take account of census population. The Seanad, the upper house, has 60 seats, filled by members elected by panels and university graduates or nominated by the Taoiseach rather than chosen at the general election. Membership data is also available through the free Oireachtas API.
Source guides
- Central Statistics Office (CSO)
- Central Bank of Ireland (with the European Central Bank)
- Houses of the Oireachtas
- Irish Statute Book and Freedom of Information
Questions were chosen from the searches people make most about this country's figures, and each answer was written from the official page it links to, read on 14 October 2026. These answers give no verdict on any claim. To report an error, send a correction request.