Country Overview
Ireland is a parliamentary republic in northwestern Europe occupying most of the island of Ireland, while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom. The modern independent Irish Free State was established in 1922, and the current constitution dates from 1937. Ireland joined the European Communities in 1973 and adopted the euro in 1999. Its multinational-intensive economy requires particular care when interpreting GDP and GDP per capita. [6]
Identity and State Formation
- Official and common names
- Ireland (Éire); English common name Ireland; Republic of Ireland is a statutory description, not the state’s constitutional name
- Capital
- Dublin
- UN M49 classification
- Europe / Northern Europe [3]
- Independence and early statehood
- Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921; Irish Free State formally established on 6 December 1922
- Current constitutional state
- Constitution of Ireland (Bunreacht na hÉireann) effective 29 December 1937
- Republic status
- Republic of Ireland Act 1948 came into operation 18 April 1949, formalizing the description and external role of the republic
- National day
- 17 March (Saint Patrick’s Day)
- ISO 3166-1 identifiers
- IE (alpha-2), IRL (alpha-3), 372 (numeric)
- Country-code top-level domain
- .ie
Historical context: Ireland developed through Gaelic polities, Norman settlement and centuries of English and British rule. The Easter Rising of 1916 and subsequent War of Independence led to the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the establishment of the Free State in 1922. Partition left six northeastern counties in Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom. The 1937 constitution reshaped the state, and the 1949 republic legislation altered its external status. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement underpins institutions associated with the Northern Ireland peace process. [9]
Geography and Population
- Total geographical area
- 69,947 km² (Eurostat geographic reference, 2026; Republic only) [6]
- Land area
- 68,890 km² (World Bank/FAO, 2024; Republic only) [2]
- Population
- 5,484,367 (World Bank, 2025 country series) [1]
- Annual population growth
- 1.6% (World Bank, 2025) [1]
- Political geography
- Republic covers 26 traditional counties of the island; six counties form Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom
- Borders
- Only land border is with Northern Ireland (United Kingdom); Atlantic Ocean to west and Irish Sea to east
- Physical features
- Central lowlands, coastal mountains, River Shannon, Atlantic cliffs, peatlands and pasture landscapes
- Major urban centers
- Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Drogheda
Data interpretation: Area and population figures apply to the sovereign State of Ireland, not to the entire island including Northern Ireland. Eurostat 2026 area and World Bank 2024 land area use different definitions. [1]
Economy and International Trade
- Economic profile
- Service- and export-oriented high-income economy with large technology, pharmaceutical, medical device, financial and business-service sectors
- Nominal GDP
- Approximately US$721.70 billion (2025, World Bank current dollars) [1]
- Nominal GDP per capita
- Approximately US$131,593 (2025, World Bank current dollars) [1]
- Real GDP growth
- 12.3% (2025 World Bank national-accounts series) [1]
- Currency
- Euro (EUR); euro-area member from 1999; notes and coins circulated from 2002 [6]
- Merchandise exports
- €260.3 billion in 2025, preliminary (Ireland Central Statistics Office)
- Medical and pharmaceutical goods
- €138.6 billion in 2025, 53.2% of total merchandise exports (CSO)
- Main 2025 goods export markets
- United States (42.9%), Netherlands (9.9%) and Belgium (6.1%) of goods exports (CSO)
- Supplementary welfare indicator
- Modified gross national income (GNI*) is used in Irish statistics to address globalization-related distortions in GDP
Irish GDP and domestic income: Multinational profit flows, foreign-owned intellectual property and aircraft leasing distort comparisons based solely on national GDP. Ireland’s Central Statistics Office publishes modified gross national income (GNI*) as a complementary indicator of domestic activity. The 2025 GDP per capita shown above is not a measure of typical Irish household income. [10]
Principal Merchandise Export Categories (2025)
| Category | Illustrative exported products |
|---|---|
| Medical and pharmaceutical products | Medicines and related products; €138.6 billion and 53.2% of 2025 goods exports |
| Organic chemicals | Chemical intermediates and specialty chemical products |
| Computers and machinery | Office machines, data-processing equipment and industrial machinery |
| Medical devices | Specialized medical and precision instruments |
| Food and beverages | Dairy products, meat, food preparations and alcoholic beverages |
GDP is not wages: Nominal GDP is aggregate economic output; GDP per capita divides that output by population. Neither measure represents average or median personal earnings. [1]
People and Society
- National and official languages
- Irish is the first official language under the Constitution; English is the second official language
- Language use
- English is used by most residents in daily life; Irish is taught in schools and used in Gaeltacht communities
- Religious affiliation, 2022 census
- 69% of the usually resident population identified as Roman Catholic; 14% reported no religion (Census of Population 2022) [8]
- Other faith communities
- Church of Ireland, Orthodox and other Christians, Muslim, Hindu and other communities
- Census and survey distinctions
- 2022 self-identification is a census indicator, not a measure of weekly attendance or a 2025 religious estimate
- Demography
- Migration and population growth play important roles; Dublin is the principal metropolitan center
Demographic interpretation: Religion figures are from Ireland’s 3 April 2022 Census, not the 2025 World Bank population series. Census responses record self-identification. [8]
Government and Institutions
- System
- Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic
- Head of state
- President of Ireland, directly elected for a seven-year term; largely ceremonial constitutional functions
- Head of government
- Taoiseach, nominated by Dáil Éireann and appointed by the President
- Legislature
- Bicameral Oireachtas: Dáil Éireann (lower house) and Seanad Éireann (upper house)
- Local administration
- 31 local authorities within the State; 26 traditional counties should not be confused with the number of local authorities
- Constitution
- Bunreacht na hÉireann, 1937, as amended
- Constitutional principles
- Executive derives from parliamentary confidence; independent courts and judicial review
International Profile
- United Nations
- Member since 14 December 1955 [5]
- European Union
- Member since 1 January 1973 (European Communities) [6]
- Euro area
- Member since 1 January 1999 [6]
- Schengen area
- Not part of Schengen; operates a Common Travel Area with the United Kingdom [6]
- NATO
- Not a member; follows a policy of military neutrality
- Other organizations
- OECD, WTO, Council of Europe, OSCE
- UNESCO World Heritage
- 2 inscribed properties: Brú na Bóinne and Sceilg Mhichíl/Skellig Michael [4]
- International dialing code
- +353
- Time zone
- Greenwich Mean Time UTC+0 in winter; Irish Standard Time UTC+1 in summer
Sources and Verification
Editorial cutoff: November 6, 2026. Most headline population and economic indicators are World Bank 2025 data. Separate national releases and census figures have different statistical coverage and dates; figures may be updated retrospectively.
- World Bank, World Development Indicators country overview (2025) — 2025 population, GDP, GDP per capita and annual real growth.
- World Bank and FAO, land area (2024) — 2024 land area excluding inland water.
- United Nations Statistics Division, M49 geographic classifications — Geographic subregion.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, state party pages — Current World Heritage inscriptions.
- United Nations, member states — Membership in the United Nations.
- European Union, Ireland country profile — 2026 area, institutions, euro history and Schengen opt-out.
- Central Statistics Office Ireland, Goods Exports and Imports December 2025 — €260.3 billion goods exports, pharmaceuticals, top partners in 2025.
- Central Statistics Office Ireland, Census 2022 Summary Results — 2022 self-reported religious affiliation and population.
- Irish Statute Book, Constitution of Ireland — Official name, languages, president, parliament and constitutional law.
- Central Statistics Office, Modified GNI (GNI*) — Methodological explanation of distorted GDP and GNI*.
- Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, History of Ireland — State formation and historical background.
- Houses of the Oireachtas, Parliamentary institutions — Dáil and Seanad roles.
Methodology: Population is the World Bank 2025 country series; GDP and GDP per capita are in current U.S. dollars and real GDP growth is a volume change, not an exchange-rate change. Land area excludes inland waters under the FAO definition, whereas the country-specific total area can be a distinct national or regional surface measure. Export tables are illustrative merchandise categories, not services data or a harmonized ranking. Religious figures identify their census or survey reference year and denominator.