Misplaced Pages

Census of Ireland, 2011
← 2006 10 April 2011 (2011-04-10) 2016 →
General information
Country	Ireland
Results
Total population	4,588,252 ( 6.86%)
Most populous county	Dublin (1,273,069)
Least populous county	Leitrim (31,796)

The 2011 census of Ireland was held on Sunday, 10 April 2011. It was administered by the Central Statistics Office of Ireland and found the population to be 4,588,252 people. Before the census, the latest population estimate was published in September 2010 and calculated that the Irish population had been 4,470,700 in April 2010. The previous census took place five years earlier, on Sunday, 23 April 2006. The subsequent census took place five years later, on 24 April 2016.

The 2011 census was held during the same year as the 2011 United Kingdom census in which the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency administered a census of Northern Ireland, covering those areas of the island that are not part of the Republic of Ireland.

Preparation

The Central Statistics Office carried out a census pilot survey on 19 April 2009 to test new questions and methods for the 2011 census. The Irish government met on 11 December 2009 and scheduled the census to take place on 10 April 2011. The meeting also defined the questions that would be asked in the questionnaire.

Atheist Ireland and Humanist Association campaigns

There were also campaigns by the Atheist Ireland group, and by The Humanist Association of Ireland, asking people to consider carefully their answer to the question about religion.

Recruitment

The Central Statistics Office hired a temporary field force of 5,500 people. The recruitment was performed in a pyramid structure, with 50 senior managers, 440 field supervisors, and 5,000 enumerators hired in succession. Hiring of senior managers for the census took place between 29 April and 12 May 2010. Recruitment of 440 census field supervisor positions began on 16 September 2010. The supervisors worked from their own homes around the country for a six-month contract. The 5,000 census enumerator positions were advertised on 29 December 2010, and these worked for ten weeks from 8 March 2011.

Field work

Enumerators began a field campaign on 10 March 2011 to deliver about 1.8 million census forms to every household in Ireland in the month before Census Day. Following the census, the forms were collected between 11 April and 9 May 2011.

Questions on the census form

Results

The first statistics were released in the Preliminary Population Report on 30 June 2011. The population on Census Night in April was 4,581,269, a figure based on summary counts for each enumeration area compiled by enumerators on the front page of the census forms. This figure was 110,569 more than the estimated population for April 2010. The definitive census publication, based on the scanned and processed census forms, is to be published between March and December 2012.

County details

The population of each county in the Republic of Ireland recorded by the 2011 Census is listed below. The 26 traditional counties are ranked by population. Non-traditional administrative counties are indicated by a cream-coloured background.

Rank	County	Population	Density (/ km)	Province	Change since previous census
1	Dublin	1,273,069	1,380.8	Leinster	7.02%
2	Cork	519,032	69.0	Munster	7.84%
-	Fingal	273,991	600.6	Leinster	14.17%
-	South Dublin	265,205	1,190.6	Leinster	7.40%
3	Galway	250,541	40.7	Connacht	8.15%
4	Kildare	210,312	123.8	Leinster	12.87%
-	Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown	206,261	1,620.1	Leinster	6.30%
5	Limerick	191,809	69.4	Munster	4.21%
6	Meath	184,135	78.5	Leinster	13.08%
7	Donegal	161,137	32.9	Ulster	9.42%
8	Tipperary	158,754	36.8	Munster	6.37%
9	Kerry	145,502	30.1	Munster	4.05%
10	Wexford	145,320	61.2	Leinster	10.30%
11	Wicklow	136,640	67.4	Leinster	8.28%
12	Mayo	130,638	23.3	Connacht	5.49%
13	Louth	122,897	148.7	Leinster	10.45%
14	Clare	117,196	33.8	Munster	5.63%
15	Waterford	113,795	61.2	Munster	5.40%
16	Kilkenny	95,419	46.0	Leinster	8.98%
-	South Tipperary	88,432	39.2	Munster	6.26%
17	Westmeath	86,164	46.7	Leinster	8.59%
18	Laois	80,559	46.8	Leinster	20.13%
19	Offaly	76,687	38.3	Leinster	8.21%
20	Cavan	73,183	37.7	Ulster	14.34%
-	North Tipperary	70,322	34.4	Munster	6.61%
21	Sligo	65,393	35.5	Connacht	7.39%
22	Roscommon	64,065	25.0	Connacht	9.01%
23	Monaghan	60,483	46.7	Ulster	8.01%
24	Carlow	54,612	60.8	Leinster	8.47%
25	Longford	39,000	35.7	Leinster	13.40%
26	Leitrim	31,796	19.9	Connacht	9.84%
	Average	176,471
Total	Ireland	4,588,252	65.3		6.86%

References

1. Archived 9 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine CSO 2011
2. Population and Migration Estimates Archived 20 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine Central Statistics Office, 21 September 2010.
3. Census 2006: Preliminary Report Archived 24 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Central Statistics Office, July 2006. Retrieved: 21 June 2011.
4. "Census 2016 says we are older, less religious and speak less Irish". The Irish Times. 6 April 2017. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
5. Be Honest about Religion in the Irish Census on Sunday 10 April Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Atheist Ireland, 13 January 2011.
6. Census Campaign Archived 17 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Humanist Association of Ireland. Retrieved: 21 June 2011.
7. Atheists kick off 'Honest to Godless' census campaign Archived 14 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine TheJournal.ie, 14 January 2011.
8. Think carefully before answering census question on religion Archived 26 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Irish Times, 29 March 2011.
9. Launch of Phase 2 of the Census 2011 recruitment campaign Archived 12 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine CSO 16 September 2010.
10. Census date and questions for Census 2011 Archived 8 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Central Statistics Office. Retrieved: 21 June 2011.
11. ^ Latest News: What happens next? Archived 18 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Central Statistics Office. Retrieved: 21 June 2011.
12. Each question in detail Archived 7 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine Central Statistics Office. Retrieved: 21 June 2011.
13. Census shows population at highest level for 150 years Archived 24 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Irish Times, 30 June 2011.
14. Population at highest level in 150 years Archived 24 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Irish Times, 2011-06-60.
15. Archived 6 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine Central Statistics Office figures
16. Archived 31 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Census 2011

External links

• This is Ireland: Highlights from Census 2011 Part 1 (134-page PDF), released 29 March 2012, containing much of the statistics
• Irish Census website
• Central Statistics Office website
• The census form
• How We Do It — Detailed census narrative from the Irish Census website
• Articles on the 2011 Census

• Censuses in the Republic of Ireland
• 2011 in the Republic of Ireland
• 2011 censuses
• Demographics of Ireland
• Historical geography of Ireland