Press release
Taoiseach Micheál Martin welcomes the preliminary results of Census 2022
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
"The publication by the Central Statistics Office this morning of the preliminary results of Census 2022 is an important moment as we start to learn the information gathered on census night 12 weeks ago.
"In particular, I welcome the news that the population has now reached over 5 million, and is at the highest recorded level in a census since 1841, showing the benefits of economic and employment growth in recent years.
"I also welcome confirmation that the population has increased across every part of the country, with every county in Ireland seeing an increase in their population since 2016, as part of an overall increase of nearly 8% in that time.
"What this illustrates is the importance of the government’s continuing need to invest in the provision of public services and infrastructure, in childcare, housing, health and education, to keep up with this population growth.
"Today’s figures also show that the number of houses has increased by 6% since 2016, having grown by less than 1% in the previous 5 years.
"While the number of houses has increased, we clearly need to build more homes as quickly as we can, and the Housing for All plan will ramp-up housing output further in the next few years.
"The census is far more than a simple counting exercise, it gives us the information that is vital for everything from the planning and delivery of public services, to where we need to build housing, to how we arrange our electoral constituencies.
"By participating in the census people were supporting their communities, ensuring these decisions will be made with an accurate view of each community’s needs.
"The census will provide a uniquely comprehensive account of our population and I look forward to learning more as the Central Statistics Office publishes further information from the census in the months ahead."