Measuring religious adherence in Ireland.
» Note: Statistics for Northern Ireland are available on the UK Christianity page.
» Statistics for the previous census in 2011 are available on the Irish Census (2011) page.
A Census was held in Ireland in April 2016 and a preliminary report published a year later.
Hover over each bar/slice to obtain the figures for the year shown.
Note: Over the period 2011-2016, the Irish population as a whole grew by 3.8%.
Outside of the Census, statistics on weekly Mass attendance have revealed an overall decline over the last 30 years, which is most marked in urban areas. A 2006 Poll conducted by the Irish state broadcaster RTE revealed that 48% of those surveyed attended mass at least weekly, as compared to 81% in 1990. A 2011 Survey found weekly attendance rates in the Dublin area to be 14%.
As part of the European Social Survey in 2010, Roman Catholics in Ireland were questioned on their church attendance patterns:
Weighted Base: 1,844
Over the period 1972-2011, weekly church attendance by Irish Roman Catholics fell from 91% to 30%. For the population as a whole, the following graph details the decline in attendance:
The number of priests has fallen by 16.4% over a 10 year period (2004-2014).
Source: The Irish Catholic