Age Demographics · Census 2022

Where young people live in Ireland — Census 2022 age data

Niall Thomas · 4 min read

Where Ireland's young population lives has shifted significantly since 2016. University towns, inner-city rental clusters, and fast-growing commuter towns all have distinct under-35 age profiles. Census 2022 maps these patterns at electoral division level — the most detailed picture available.

Ireland's age profile — Census 2022 headline figures

National Median Age

38.8

Years · Census 2022

Under 25s Share

~30%

National population share

Youngest County

Kildare

Lowest median age nationally

Oldest County

Leitrim

Highest median age nationally

Areas with the youngest population profiles

Area	Profile note
1. Dublin City — Liberties / Ringsend	High student & young professional density
2. Maynooth, Kildare	University town · youngest median age nationally
3. Galway City	Student population · tech sector
4. Cork City — Leeside	UCC / MTU student population
5. Limerick City — University area	UL campus catchment
6. Dublin — Rathmines / Ranelagh	Young professional rental cluster

What drives young population concentration

University towns: Maynooth, Galway, Cork, and Limerick all have very low median ages because of their student populations. Maynooth records the youngest median age among Irish towns in Census data. NUI Maynooth students make up a large share of its population.
Rental clusters: Young people aged 25–34 cluster in private rented accommodation. Electoral divisions with the highest private renting rates — inner Dublin, inner Cork, inner Galway — also have the youngest median ages outside student areas.
Commuter belt family formation: Kildare and Meath have the highest share of children under 15 nationally. First-time buyers and young families drive this. The commuter belt is young because of family formation, not renting.
Rural youth migration: The most rural EDs in Leitrim, Roscommon, and Mayo have the oldest median ages in the country. The 18–34 age group consistently moves to urban areas for work or education and does not always return. Remote working has started to reverse this in some areas, but the shift is not yet visible in 2022 data.

Under-18s — where children are most concentrated

Kildare, Meath, and Louth have the highest shares of under-18s nationally. These are the family formation counties — households with children, owner-occupied homes, and a median age in the mid-30s rather than the early 40s of the most rural counties. School infrastructure faces the most pressure in these counties as a result.

Young workers and employment

Census 2022 captures employment status by age band. South Dublin, Wicklow, and Kildare have the highest youth employment rates — the professional employment belt. Inner Dublin, Cork, and Limerick have the highest youth unemployment rates, mirroring the broader deprivation patterns in those areas.

Third-level attainment among under-35s has risen sharply across Ireland. The gap between the most and least educated young cohorts — visible in the Pobal Deprivation Index at ED level — reflects both geography and socioeconomic background.

Explore age demographics on the map

IrelandInsights maps Census 2022 median age, population, and employment for every electoral division. Compare young population clusters, commuter family belts, and rural age profiles.

Dublin median age map National age map Population map Kildare population

County profiles — age & demographics

Kildare Meath Louth Dublin Galway Cork Limerick Leitrim Mayo Donegal

← Population growth · Where to live →

Data: CSO Census 2022 · Age and Household Structure · Electoral Divisions · cso.ie/census

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Historical Ireland (1926)

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.

Frequently asked questions

What county in Ireland has the youngest population?

Kildare has the lowest median age of any county in Ireland in Census 2022, driven by a large young family demographic in its commuter towns (Maynooth, Celbridge, Newbridge, Naas). Within individual towns, Maynooth has the lowest median age due to NUI Maynooth's student population. Meath and Louth also have young age profiles for similar commuter-belt reasons.

Where do young professionals live in Ireland?

Young professionals (25–34) are most concentrated in inner Dublin — particularly Rathmines, Ranelagh, Stoneybatter, and the Docklands area. Galway city and Cork city's inner suburbs also have high young professional concentrations. These areas typically have the highest private renting rates (over 50% in many EDs) and the highest third-level attainment rates nationally.

Where do young families with children live in Ireland?

Kildare, Meath, and Louth have the highest shares of under-18s in Ireland according to Census 2022 — the commuter-belt counties where first-time buyers and young families have driven new housing estates since the 2010s. These areas combine a median age in the mid-30s with owner-occupied family housing, in contrast to the early-40s median age typical of the most rural counties. School infrastructure faces the most capacity pressure in these fast-growing family counties.

Is rural Ireland's youth outmigration reversing?

Not yet visibly, according to Census 2022. The most rural electoral divisions in Leitrim, Roscommon, and Mayo still record the oldest median ages in the country, reflecting decades where the 18–34 age group left for work or education in cities and did not return. Remote working has increased the theoretical viability of rural living since 2020, and rural counties now offer some of the lowest house purchase prices nationally — but that shift had not registered in the age structure by April 2022, when the Census was taken. Census 2027 will be the first to show whether remote work has changed the pattern.