Statizoid

Median age in Ireland

Ireland: Median age was 38.42 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
38.42 years
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
68th
of 236 countries
All-time high
38.42 years
in 2023
All-time low
25.4 years
in 1975
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Median age in Ireland, 1950–2023

010203040195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for median age in Ireland is 38.42 years, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 11.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, median age in Ireland peaked at 38.42 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 25.4 years, in 1975.

That places Ireland 68th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Median age in Ireland, year by year

Year years Change
1950 29 years —
1951 28.82 years -0.6%
1952 28.81 years -0.0%
1953 28.98 years +0.6%
1954 29.12 years +0.5%
1955 29.22 years +0.3%
1956 29.3 years +0.3%
1957 29.34 years +0.1%
1958 29.32 years -0.0%
1959 29.25 years -0.3%
1960 29.09 years -0.6%
1961 28.83 years -0.9%
1962 28.54 years -1.0%
1963 28.23 years -1.1%
1964 27.89 years -1.2%
1965 27.56 years -1.2%
1966 27.2 years -1.3%
1967 26.92 years -1.0%
1968 26.69 years -0.8%
1969 26.44 years -0.9%
1970 26.22 years -0.9%
1971 25.98 years -0.9%
1972 25.74 years -0.9%
1973 25.55 years -0.7%
1974 25.44 years -0.4%
1975 25.4 years -0.2%
1976 25.4 years +0.0%
1977 25.41 years +0.0%
1978 25.43 years +0.1%
1979 25.45 years +0.1%
1980 25.49 years +0.1%
1981 25.55 years +0.3%
1982 25.67 years +0.5%
1983 25.83 years +0.6%
1984 26.04 years +0.8%
1985 26.26 years +0.9%
1986 26.52 years +1.0%
1987 26.87 years +1.3%
1988 27.34 years +1.7%
1989 27.83 years +1.8%
1990 28.23 years +1.5%
1991 28.56 years +1.1%
1992 28.89 years +1.1%
1993 29.24 years +1.2%
1994 29.61 years +1.2%
1995 29.95 years +1.2%
1996 30.28 years +1.1%
1997 30.64 years +1.2%
1998 30.99 years +1.1%
1999 31.26 years +0.9%
2000 31.5 years +0.7%
2001 31.69 years +0.6%
2002 31.89 years +0.6%
2003 32.13 years +0.7%
2004 32.35 years +0.7%
2005 32.43 years +0.2%
2006 32.38 years -0.2%
2007 32.35 years -0.1%
2008 32.5 years +0.5%
2009 32.85 years +1.1%
2010 33.3 years +1.4%
2011 33.76 years +1.4%
2012 34.18 years +1.3%
2013 34.6 years +1.2%
2014 35 years +1.2%
2015 35.37 years +1.1%
2016 35.74 years +1.1%
2017 36.13 years +1.1%
2018 36.5 years +1.0%
2019 36.88 years +1.0%
2020 37.29 years +1.1%
2021 37.64 years +0.9%
2022 38 years +0.9%
2023 38.42 years +1.1%

Ireland compared with similar countries

  • Ireland's 38.42 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 39.36 years, 98% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • Ireland's 38.42 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 41.35 years, 93% of the median. (56 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 29.12 years 28.81 years 29.34 years 10
1960s 27.74 years 26.44 years 29.09 years 10
1970s 25.6 years 25.4 years 26.22 years 10
1980s 26.34 years 25.49 years 27.83 years 10
1990s 29.77 years 28.23 years 31.26 years 10
2000s 32.21 years 31.5 years 32.85 years 10
2010s 35.15 years 33.3 years 36.88 years 10
2020s 37.84 years 37.29 years 38.42 years 4

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 65 Luxembourg 38.89 years compare
  2. 66 Gibraltar 38.88 years compare
  3. 67 Saint Barthelemy 38.81 years compare
  4. 69 Macao 38.31 years compare
  5. 70 Turks and Caicos Islands 38.3 years compare
  6. 71 Curacao 38.23 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is median age in Ireland?
Median age in Ireland was 38.42 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest median age recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 38.42 years in 2023.
What is the lowest median age recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 25.4 years in 1975.
How does Ireland rank for median age?
Ireland ranks 68th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is median age rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Median age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Median age in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/median-age/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Median age
Unit
years
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Age that divides the population into two halves of equal size — half are younger and half are older.