Revealed: Ireland's largest towns unveiled in latest CSO census statistics

Ireland's largest towns have been revealed by the Central Statistics Office, with details from last year's census showing that Ireland's population has hit 5 million for the first time since the Famine. 

The town with the largest population in the State was Drogheda in Louth, with 44,135 people counted there in 2022.

In Census 2022, there were 49 towns in the country with a population over 10,000 people.

Among the towns with a population of 1,500 to 10,000 people, Saggart in Dublin was the youngest, with an average age of 30.4 years while Ballyshannon in Donegal and Dingle-Daingean Uí Chúis in Kerry were the oldest, with an average age of 44.4 years.

Of the towns with a population of 10,000 or more, Balbriggan in Dublin was the youngest, with an average age of 33.6 years and Clonmel in Tipperary was the oldest, with an average age of 40.8 years.

It is the first time in 171 years that the State's population exceeded the five million threshold. In this period, 1851 to 2022, just five counties saw an increase in their population: Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Meath and Louth.

Nearly 60% of the 5.1 million people usually resident in the State were living in the county of their birth. Cork had the highest percentage (72%) of residents born in the county. Meath had the lowest percentage (32%) of residents that were born in the county.

In the year prior to the census, 265,098 residents moved within the State. Of these, 29% moved to a different county.

Of the 112,548 households that moved in the year prior to Census 2022, 61% moved into a rented property, 23% to a property owned with a mortgage or loan and 11% to a property purchased without a mortgage or loan.