Census of Ireland

The census of Ireland is typically held on a quinquennial basis by the Central Statistics Office to determine the population of the Republic of Ireland. The most recent census was held in 2022. As of November 2022, the next census was planned to occur in 2027.^[1] Prior to the Partition of Ireland, censuses covered the entire island of Ireland, with the most recent one having been the 1911 census of Ireland, no census having taken place in 1921 due to the Irish War of Independence.

Dates of census

• Sunday, 18 April 1926^[2]
• Sunday, 26 April 1936
• Sunday, 12 May 1946
• Sunday, 8 April 1951
• Sunday, 8 April 1956
• Sunday, 9 April 1961
• Sunday, 17 April 1966
• Sunday, 18 April 1971
• Sunday, 1 April 1979
• Sunday, 5 April 1981
• Sunday, 13 April 1986
• Sunday, 21 April 1991
• Sunday, 28 April 1996
• Sunday, 28 April 2002^{[lower-alpha 1][3]}
• Sunday, 23 April 2006
• Sunday, 10 April 2011
• Sunday, 24 April 2016
• Sunday, 3 April 2022^{[lower-alpha 2][4]}

Political geography

Under Article 16 of the Constitution of Ireland, revisions of Dáil constituencies by the Oireachtas are required at a minimum every 12 years. However, they must also have due regard to changes in the population.^[5] Under the Electoral Reform Act 2022, the Electoral Commission is required to conduct a review of constituency boundaries after every census. From 1997 up to the establishment of the Electoral Commission in 2023, this function was carried out by a Constituency Commission created for this function.

Urban geography

From 1971 to 2006, census towns were "defined as a cluster of 50 or more occupied dwellings where, within a radius of 800 metres, there was a nucleus of 30 occupied dwellings". From 2016, a new census settlement was defined "as a minimum of 50 occupied dwellings, with a maximum distance between any dwelling and the building closest to it of 100 metres, accompanied by evidence of an urban centre". For the 2022 census, the CSO developed a new urban geography term the Built Up Area (BUA) to define urban areas.^[6]

Notes

1. Originally planned for April 2001, the census was delayed to 2002 due to the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak which affected Northern Ireland
2. Originally planned for April 2021, the census was delayed to 2022 as part of the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland

References

1. "CSO invites public submissions on Census 2027". rte.ie. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
2. "Census through History". Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
3. "Census of Population - Sunday 28 April 2002 - Information about the Census" (PDF). United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
4. Delmer, Niamh; Keena, Colm (3 April 2022). "Census 2022 to be completed tonight as special measures taken to include refugees". The Irish Times. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
5. "Constitution of Ireland". Irish Statute Book. 9 July 2023.
6. "Census 2022 Urban Boundaries and Built Up Areas". CSO. Retrieved 9 July 2023.

External links

• Census page on the CSO website