Introduction
NOTE: The statistics for 1834 and 1861 refer to the whole of Ireland; those from 1881 onwards have been adjusted to exclude Northern Ireland by CSO.
The 1834 figures list 'Methodist' under 'Anglican (Church of Ireland)'.
During the period 1845-1852, Ireland experienced the 'Great Famine', which led to a fall in the population of between 20% and 25%.
From 1881 to 2011:
- The Roman Catholic population increased from 3,465,332 to 3,861,335; but as a percentage of the population, it decreased from 89.54% to 84.16%. It peaked in 1961 at 94.86% of the population. The Catholic population is continuing to increase, but not at the same rate as the overall Irish population.
- The Church of Ireland population decreased from 317,576 (8.21%) to 129,039 (2.81%). Its lowest value was 89,187 (2.53%) in 1991.
From 1961 to 2011, the category of 'No Religion' increased from 1,107 (0.04%) to 269,811 (5.88%). It now represents the largest group in Ireland by percentage and absolute values outside of the Roman Catholic Church.
Sources: CSO Ireland and Religious Statistics for the Island of Ireland.
Other Statistics
- Weekly Mass attendance in Dublin is currently estimated at around 20-22% of the population.
- Since 2000, marriage rates in the archdiocese of Dublin have dropped by an average of 4%.
- Since 1975, the Presbyterian church in the island of Ireland has declined by 40% or 145,000 members and membership now stands at 230,000.
Source: The Irish Times.
Note: Percentages may total 100% due to rounding.