Religion in Ireland by county — Census 2022
Census 2022 recorded the most detailed picture of Irish religious identity since the foundation of the state. Nationally, 69% identified as Catholic — down from 78% in 2016 and 84% in 2011. But the national figure conceals sharp county-level variation: from 79.61% Catholic in Mayo to 57.42% in Dublin, and from 6.78% "No Religion" in Monaghan to 20.12% in Dublin.
National overview — religion in Ireland 2022
Religion by county — all 26 counties
Sorted from most Catholic to least Catholic. The gap between the most Catholic counties and Dublin reflects both demographic composition and generational shift. Counties in the Dublin commuter belt (Wicklow, Kildare, Meath) reflect Dublin's secular trend with a one-county lag.
| County | Catholic | No Religion | Other religions | Not stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Mayo | 79.61% | 9.75% | 6.23% | 4.41% |
| 2. Tipperary | 79.29% | 8.80% | 6.86% | 5.04% |
| 3. Offaly | 78.88% | 8.18% | 7.73% | 5.22% |
| 4. Roscommon | 78.64% | 9.33% | 7.32% | 4.71% |
| 5. Monaghan | 78.07% | 6.78% | 11.18% | 3.97% |
| 6. Kilkenny | 77.09% | 11.13% | 7.29% | 4.49% |
| 7. Donegal | 76.59% | 8.05% | 10.84% | 4.52% |
| 8. Leitrim | 76.47% | 11.51% | 7.56% | 4.46% |
| 9. Kerry | 76.19% | 11.21% | 7.14% | 5.46% |
| 10. Laois | 74.69% | 9.72% | 10.02% | 5.56% |
| 11. Wexford | 74.46% | 12.95% | 7.61% | 4.97% |
| 12. Cavan | 74.40% | 8.44% | 11.65% | 5.51% |
| 13. Clare | 74.12% | 12.69% | 6.64% | 6.55% |
| 14. Sligo | 73.39% | 12.37% | 8.49% | 5.75% |
| 15. Westmeath | 73.31% | 10.62% | 9.12% | 6.95% |
| 16. Carlow | 72.87% | 10.90% | 10.04% | 6.19% |
| 17. Meath | 72.47% | 13.22% | 9.96% | 4.35% |
| 18. Limerick | 71.95% | 11.13% | 7.67% | 9.24% |
| 19. Louth | 71.94% | 12.02% | 9.16% | 6.88% |
| 20. Galway | 71.72% | 14.15% | 7.25% | 6.87% |
| 21. Longford | 71.29% | 7.97% | 8.80% | 11.95% |
| 22. Cork | 70.94% | 15.65% | 7.79% | 5.63% |
| 23. Waterford | 70.63% | 14.13% | 8.34% | 6.89% |
| 24. Kildare | 69.83% | 15.37% | 9.94% | 4.86% |
| 25. Wicklow | 63.73% | 19.67% | 11.78% | 4.82% |
| 26. Dublin | 57.42% | 20.12% | 13.35% | 9.11% |
Source: CSO Census 2022 — shares of all residents, so each row sums to 100%. "Other religions" is every religion other than Catholic, including Church of Ireland, Muslim, Orthodox Christian, Hindu and other Christian denominations; "Not stated" is shown separately.
The decline of Catholic Ireland — trend 2006–2022
| Census Year | Catholic % | No Religion % |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 86.8% | 4.4% |
| 2011 | 84.2% | 5.9% |
| 2016 | 78.3% | 9.8% |
| 2022 | 68.76% | 14.67% |
The 2018 abortion referendum and 2015 same-sex marriage referendum are widely cited as inflection points in the shift in self-identification.
The Dublin–rural divide
The most striking pattern in the 2022 data is the gap between Dublin and the rest of the country. Dublin has a Catholic share of 57.42%, against 79.61% in Mayo and 79.29% in Tipperary. Within Dublin, inner-city EDs record "No Religion" rates above 30% — while some EDs in rural Connacht remain above 90% Catholic.
- Dublin city centre: Several electoral divisions record "No Religion" above 30%. Young, educated, urban populations are driving secular identification faster than the national average.
- Commuter belt: Wicklow (19.67% no religion), Kildare (15.37%) and Meath (13.22%) are among the counties closest to Dublin's secular trend — reflecting Dublin-origin residents relocating outward.
- The most Catholic counties: Mayo, Tipperary and Offaly have the highest Catholic shares. Rural settlement patterns, older age profiles, and lower inward migration combine to slow secularisation.
- Border counties: Donegal and Monaghan have notable Church of Ireland and Presbyterian minorities (the Ulster Protestant tradition).
Non-Catholic religions — immigration and diversity
Other religions account for 9.87% of the population in Census 2022, a category that has grown with immigration. The main non-Catholic, non-secular groups are:
- Orthodox Christians: Primarily Romanian, Polish, and Ukrainian-born residents. Concentrated in Dublin, Louth, and Monaghan.
- Muslims: A fast-growing religious group. Dublin has the highest absolute numbers; Longford, Portlaoise, and Sligo have notable Muslim populations relative to their size.
- Church of Ireland: Historically Protestant Church of Ireland is concentrated in Dublin, Wicklow, and the border counties (Donegal, Monaghan, Cavan). Relatively stable over recent censuses.
- Presbyterians: Predominantly in Donegal, Monaghan, and Cavan — reflecting the Ulster Protestant tradition that runs across the border.
Religion at electoral division level
IrelandInsights maps Census 2022 religion data for all 3,420 electoral divisions in Ireland — the same level of detail used for housing, employment, and demographic data. This allows you to see not just county averages, but the internal variation within counties: how a single county can contain both highly secular urban EDs and near-uniformly Catholic rural ones.
Explore diversity data on the map →Explore religion data on the map
Census 2022 religion, nationality, and ethnicity data mapped at electoral division level — the finest geographic granularity available in Ireland.
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Explore the live map
The charts above are snapshots; the live map below is the full dataset for every county and electoral division. Hover any area for the underlying figures, switch geography levels, and compare with related metrics.