Average age in Ireland 2026 — 38.8 yrs by county

Ireland's average age is 38.8 (CSO, Census 2022). Estimated from each area's age profile, electoral divisions range from about 21.6 to 56.6 in median age. The data is below.

Ireland average age — Census 2022 overview

Areas with the oldest populations in Ireland

These electoral divisions recorded the highest estimated median ages in Census 2022. Older-median EDs cluster in rural areas losing population — the rural west, midlands, and border regions where younger people have emigrated or moved to cities. Counties Mayo, Kerry, and Cork appear most often among the oldest EDs.

Areas with the youngest populations in Ireland

These electoral divisions had the lowest estimated median ages in Census 2022. Young-median EDs cluster around university campuses, large new housing estates built in the 2000s and 2010s, and fast-growing commuter towns. Dublin, Cork, and Galway appear most often among the youngest EDs.

Average age in Ireland by county — Census 2022

County-level estimated median ages range from 35.8 in Meath to 42.1 in Mayo. The CSO's Census 2022 results name Fingal, Kildare and Meath as the counties with the youngest average age, and Mayo, Kerry, Roscommon and Leitrim as the oldest. Decades of selective outmigration drive this spread — younger people leave for Dublin and abroad while older cohorts stay.

Why median age matters for area selection

Age profile goes with housing tenure and household make-up. Using the estimated median ages above (Census 2022):

• Families with children: In EDs with an estimated median age under 35, children aged 0–14 are 22.5% of residents, against 18.8% in the rest of the country.
• Housing tenure: EDs with an estimated median age below 30 (19 EDs) have 41.5% owner-occupancy and 30.7% private renting; EDs above 50 (87 EDs) have 79.2% and 8.7% (State: 65.9% owner-occupied, 18.0% privately rented).

How Ireland's average age is changing

Ireland's average age rose from 36.1 at Census 2011 to 37.4 at Census 2016, and to 38.8 at Census 2022 (CSO, mean age). Despite this steady rise, Ireland remains one of the youngest countries in the EU: on the like-for-like median measure, Eurostat puts Ireland at 38.8 and the EU27 at 44.4 for 2022.

The ageing trend is uneven. The CSO's Census 2022 results name Fingal, Kildare and Meath as the youngest counties on average and Mayo, Kerry, Roscommon and Leitrim as the oldest. Rural western counties keep ageing as younger cohorts leave and inward migration stays low.

The urban-rural age divide

Dublin's estimated median age of 36.7 contrasts sharply with rural western counties where the oldest electoral division is estimated at 56.6. This is not simply a rural-urban split — it reflects decades of outward migration from specific areas. The IrelandInsights map shows age at electoral division level, revealing within-county variation that county averages hide.

University towns — Galway, Limerick, Cork, Maynooth, and parts of Dublin — hold some of Ireland's youngest EDs. The youngest ED, CLONSKEAGH-BELFIELD (Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown), has an estimated median age of 21.6; the oldest, SHESKIN/BUNAVEELA/GLENCO (Mayo), 56.6.

The local spread in estimated median age (from about 21.6 to 56.6) maps where Ireland's demographic momentum sits and where it is absent. Kildare and Meath are among the youngest counties on average; Mayo and Leitrim are among the oldest (CSO, Census 2022). The map makes the trajectory visible.

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