Religion by Country
Religion in Ireland: Statistics, Demographics & Trends
Ireland's Catholic majority has fallen ten percentage points in a single census cycle, while the number of people reporting no religion has grown by nearly two-thirds.
Quick answer
Ireland's 2022 census recorded 69% of the population as Catholic, down sharply from 79% in 2016, while those reporting no religion rose to 14% (736,210 people), a 63% increase since 2016. The Church of Ireland remains the second-largest religious category at about 2%.
- Largest religion
- Catholicism — 69%
- No religion
- 14% (up 63% since 2016)
- Second-largest denomination
- Church of Ireland — about 2%
- Data source
- Central Statistics Office (CSO) Ireland
- Reference year
- Census 2022
Ireland at a glance
Ireland's 2022 census, run by the Central Statistics Office, recorded one of the sharpest single-cycle shifts in religious affiliation of any developed country: the Catholic share of the population fell ten percentage points in just six years, from 79% in 2016 to 69% in 2022, while the unaffiliated population grew by 63% over the same period. Part of the shift reflects a genuine change in belief, and part reflects a change in how the census question was asked — the 2022 form listed 'no religion' as the first response option, which researchers say may have affected how people answered compared with 2016.
| Religion | Population | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 3,515,861 | 69% |
| No religion | 736,210 | 14% |
| Church of Ireland | 124,749 | 2% |
| Other religions and not stated | census remainder | ≈ 15% |
The major religious groups
Catholicism (69%) remains Ireland's majority religion by a wide margin, though its share has fallen sharply in recent census cycles amid declining Mass attendance and the lasting impact of clerical abuse scandals on the Church's public standing. People with no religion (14%) form the fastest-growing category, having risen from 451,941 people in 2016 to 736,210 in 2022. The Church of Ireland (about 2%), the country's Anglican denomination, remains the largest Protestant tradition, alongside smaller but growing Muslim, Orthodox Christian and Hindu communities linked to more recent immigration.
A change in how the question was asked
Ireland's Central Statistics Office has noted that the 2022 census religion question differed from earlier versions: it was phrased as 'what is your religion, if any?' with 'no religion' presented as the first response option, rather than appearing further down a list of denominations as in 2016. Researchers have cautioned that this kind of question-ordering change can itself increase the recorded 'no religion' share independent of any underlying change in belief, which means some, though likely not all, of the recorded shift reflects methodology rather than genuine change.
A historically dominant Catholic Church
The Catholic Church held an extraordinarily dominant position in Irish public life for much of the 20th century, running large parts of the state's education and healthcare systems. That influence has eroded significantly since the 1990s, accelerated by a series of clerical abuse scandals and a series of referenda liberalising social policy on issues the Church had long opposed. For comparison with another historically Catholic country now trending toward non-affiliation, see religion in France.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main religion in Ireland?
Catholicism remains Ireland's majority religion at 69% of the population according to the 2022 census, though this share has fallen sharply from 79% in the 2016 census.
How many people in Ireland have no religion?
736,210 people, or 14% of the population, reported no religion in the 2022 census, a 63% increase from 451,941 people (roughly 9.8%) in 2016.
Did a change in the census question affect Ireland's religion results?
Ireland's Central Statistics Office has noted that the 2022 census phrased the religion question differently than in 2016, listing 'no religion' as the first response option, which researchers say may have contributed to some of the recorded increase in non-affiliation independent of genuine changes in belief.
What is the Church of Ireland?
The Church of Ireland is the country's Anglican Christian denomination and its largest Protestant tradition, making up about 2% of the population in the 2022 census, a share that has remained relatively stable across recent census cycles.
Sources & methodology
Figures are from the 2022 Census of Ireland, conducted by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which records self-declared religious affiliation for the full population.
- Central Statistics Office (CSO) Ireland, Census of Population 2022, religion results.
- The Journal, coverage of CSO Census 2022 religion data (thejournal.ie).