Population ages 65 and above in Ireland
Ireland: Population ages 65 and above was 16.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population ages 65 and above in Ireland, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, population ages 65 and above in Ireland stood at 16.2%. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 23.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population ages 65 and above in Ireland peaked at 16.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 10.7%, in 1983.
Ireland ranks 61st of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population ages 65 and above in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 11.2% | — |
| 1961 | 11.3% | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 11.2% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 11.2% | -0.5% |
| 1964 | 11.2% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 11.2% | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 11.2% | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 11.2% | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 11.2% | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 11.1% | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 11.1% | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 11.1% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 11.0% | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 10.9% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 10.7% | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 10.7% | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 10.7% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 10.7% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 10.8% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 10.8% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 10.8% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 10.7% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 10.7% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 10.7% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 10.7% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 10.8% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 10.9% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 11.0% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 11.2% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 11.3% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 11.4% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 11.4% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 11.4% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 11.4% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 11.4% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 11.4% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 11.4% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 11.4% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 11.3% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 11.3% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 11.2% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 11.1% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 11.1% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 11.1% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 11.1% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 11.0% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 10.9% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 10.8% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 10.8% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 11.1% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 11.4% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 11.7% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 12.1% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 12.4% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 12.8% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 13.1% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 13.4% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 13.7% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 14.0% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 14.2% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 14.6% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 14.9% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 15.2% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 15.5% | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 15.9% | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 16.2% | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.2% | 11.1% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 10.9% | 10.7% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.9% | 10.7% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.4% | 11.3% | 11.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.0% | 10.8% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.9% | 11.4% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.4% | 14.6% | 16.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More health data for Ireland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -4.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.89 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,122 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 20 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate 0.1118 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per capita 0.0291 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, annual growth rate 0.6457 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per capita 0.0294 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population ages 65 and above in Ireland?
- Population ages 65 and above in Ireland was 16.2% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population ages 65 and above recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 16.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest population ages 65 and above recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.7% in 1983.
- How does Ireland rank for population ages 65 and above?
- Ireland ranks 61st out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population ages 65 and above rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population ages 65 and above (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population ages 65 and above as a percentage of the total population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.