West: population, economy and official figures

West is a regional area in Northern and Western, Ireland. West had 516,985 residents on 1 January 2025, 53.9% of Northern and Western and 9.50% of Ireland; 5th largest of 8 regional areas in Ireland.

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in West: GDP per person was 50,700 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2024, 127% of the EU average (222% for Ireland); 4th highest of 8 regional areas in Ireland.
• Health in West: 52.4% of residents of the West region described their health as very good in Census 2022, compared with 53.2% nationally (the 3rd lowest of 8 NUTS 3 regions).
• Education in West: In Census 2022, 35.3% of residents aged 15+ in the West region had a third-level degree (ordinary bachelor degree or higher), against 36.0% across Ireland; that is the 4th highest of 8 NUTS 3 regions.
• Poverty and living standards in West: Social housing was home to 6.6% of households in the West region in Census 2022 (9,202 rented from the council and 1,978 from voluntary or co-operative bodies), against 10.4% nationally.
• Government and politics in West: The West region is covered by 4 local authorities: Galway City Council, Galway County Council, Mayo County Council and Roscommon County Council.

More figures

• Households in the West region paid €5.6 billion in current taxes on income in 2024, 28.0% of total household income (Ireland: 31.0%). Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy

Figures come from Ireland's own official statistics and from Eurostat's regional statistics for NUTS 3 areas. Comparisons with the EU average use purchasing power standards (PPS), which adjust for price differences.

Other regional areas in Northern and Western

• Border 441,940

Up a level: Northern and Western · all regions of Ireland · how local power works in Ireland

Sources

• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjangrp3: Population on 1 January (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4c748d3cba3a…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_d3dens: Population density, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f4b59fe9d121…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP per person, PPS (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3bf0fc662f56…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP, million euros (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 096e15e5fdb3…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment, thousand people (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 664e4e3a6dc0…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjanind3: Median age of the population (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7bf6ade55a0d…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjanind3: Share of people aged 65 or over (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 17aa0d08ab9c…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_fagec3: Live births (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 cfda9b5f4ebd…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset reg_area3: Area, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 75302b0aafe9…)
• Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland: Estimates of Household Income by Region and County, 2000-2024 (PxStat table CIRGDP07, County Incomes and Regional GDP), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e9c131e91ab7…)
• Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland: Persons on the Live Register by age group, sex and county, monthly 2022-2026 (PxStat table LRM15), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d22c9fc2ec84…)
• Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland: Mean and median annual earnings by sex and NUTS 3 region, 2011-2025 (PxStat table NEA05), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 692c97378d3e…)
• Office of the Attorney General, Irish Statute Book: S.I. No. 573 of 2014: Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b6dea72d3d80…)
• Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland: Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics (SAPS), all themes, by administrative county and city, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 32250e98c48a…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment (thousand persons) by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 222a97c302d3…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_gind3: Population change: demographic balance and crude rates by NUTS 3 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7548e948e15c…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gva: Gross value added at basic prices by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c656e8563bdf…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.