THE number of people living in Ireland continues to grow, with the population now standing at 4.76 million, according to latest census figures.
Ireland's population now roughly matches the number of people living in Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, Bradford, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Manchester combined.
The 2016 census which was carried out in Ireland in April reveals an increase of 169,724 people living in the State since 2011, a 3.7 per cent rise.
The upward trend has been achieved despite 28,558 people emigrating from Ireland over the five years 2011 to 2016.
Future predictions are for the population to continue to rise until 2031 when it is predicted to be just over five million.
Ireland is one of the few remaining nations in the West to have natural growth on this scale.
Between 1780 and 1840, Ireland experienced rapid population growth, rising from about 3 million in 1780 to over 8 million by 1840.
In 1841, the population what is now the Republic of Ireland was over 6.5 million people.
The subsequent Great Famine of 1845 to 1852 and the emigration it caused led to a sharp decline in the country's population.
By 1871, the 26-county population had dropped by over a third to four million, and by 1926 had reduced further to three million.
The population did not start to rise again until the early 1970s.
