Ireland and the United Kingdom: A Few Population Statistics
Map of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Courtesy of Bruce Jones Design, 2009
Looking at a map, it’s easy to see that Ireland is smaller than Great Britain. Comparing populations, though, takes a little more work. Below are some statistics I recently pulled together to make a comparison.
Before you look them over, though, keep in mind that Ireland – the whole island – was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1801 until 1921. After the Ango-Irish War or Irish War of Independence, which was fought from 1919-1921, twenty-six Irish counties left the union. They formed the Irish Free State, which is now the Republic of Ireland. The six counties of Northern Ireland remained in the union and are part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Two Islands: Ireland and Great Britain
In 1841, four years before the Great Irish Famine, the population of Ireland – all thirty-two counties – was approximately 8.2 million people and the population of Great Britain was about 18.8 million.
By 1901, fifty-six years after the Great Famine, Ireland’s population had fallen by more than half to 3.2 million, while Great Britain’s had almost doubled to 37 million.
Two Countries: The Republic of Ireland and The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Today, 6.7 million people live in Ireland: 4.9 million in the Republic of Ireland (26 counties in green) and 1.8 million in Northern Ireland (6 counties in light yellow). Over 64 million people currently live in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including the 1.8 million in Northern Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland, with its twenty-six counties, is the only country in Europe that has a population less than it was in 1841. However, the population of the six counties of Northern Ireland is roughly the same as it was in 1841.
References
1841 Census of the United Kingdom: Abstract of the Answers and Returns for the Population of Great Britain. (2016). Retrieved 2016, from A Vision of Britain Through Time: http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/census/SRC_P/3/GB1841ABS_1
1901 Census of the United Kingdom: Preliminary Report to the Right Honorable Walter Hume Long, M.P. (2016). Retrieved 2016, from A Vision of Britain Through Time: http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/census/SRC_P/2/EW1901PRE
Central Intelligence Agency. (2016). Ireland. CIA World Fact Book. Retrieved 2016, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ei.html
Central Intelligence Agency. (2016). United Kingdom. CIA World Fact Book. Retrieved 2016, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uk.html
National Archives of Ireland. (n.d.). About pre-1901 Census fragments and History of 1831 – 1851 census. Retrieved 2014, 2015, 2016, from National Archives of Ireland: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/help/pre1901.html
National Archives of Ireland. (n.d.). About the 1901 and 1911 censuses. Retrieved 2014, 2015, 2016, from National Archives of Ireland: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/help/about19011911census.html
National Archives of Ireland. (n.d.). History of Irish Census Records. Retrieved 2014, 2015, 2016, from http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie : http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/help/history.html
NISRA. (2016). The Population of Northern Ireland. Retrieved 2016, from NISRA: http://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/default.asp10.htm