2022 census: Non religion increased but Catholic declined in Ireland

On Jun 2, 2023

Father Michael Toomey is pictured in a file photo celebrating Mass in the nearly empty Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Clonmel, Ireland. Once a Catholic giant, Ireland is becoming less religious, census shows, with only half of Dublin residents self-identifying as Catholic. (OSV News photo/John D. Kelly, courtesy Irish Catholic)

RELIGIOUS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA) – The latest 2022 census in Ireland has shown 3.5 million people identify as Catholic, a decline from 79 per cent of the population in 2016 to 69 per cent in 2022, representing a fall of more than 180,000 people.

The number identifying as having no religion increased by 284,269 to 736,210.

The Church of Ireland category remained the second-largest religious group with 124,749 people.

The number of Hindus more than doubled, from 13,729 to 33,043 and the number of Muslims stands at 81,930, up from 63,443.