Jews in Ireland - a century in review: From growth to decline to growth again?

In this report:

immigration, particularly from Israel, has played a central role in the recovery of Ireland's small Jewish population following decades of decline. This report provides a comprehensive demographic portrait of Ireland's Jewish community, examining its population size, historical development, socioeconomic characteristics and changing composition. Conducted by JPR's European Jewish Demography Unit as part of its national studies programme, the study follows JPR's previous demographic studies of Jewish populations in Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands. Together, these studies contribute to a growing understanding of how migration, fertility and mortality are reshaping European Jewish life.

Some of the key findings in the report:

• Ireland has approximately 2,500–2,700 Jews, representing just 0.05% of the country's population. Around 60% live in Dublin and its surrounding areas.
• The Jewish population has recovered significantly since 1991, when it reached a historic low of 1,581. However, census figures show a slight decline from 2,557 in 2016 to 2,484 in 2022.
• Immigration is the main driver of Jewish population growth. Approximately 67% of Jews in Ireland were born abroad, compared with 20% of the country's population as a whole. Jewish fertility is estimated at just 1.0–1.3 children per woman, well below the level required to sustain the population without immigration.
• Israelis now constitute a substantial part of Irish Jewry. Around a quarter of Jews in Ireland were born in Israel, rising to approximately one-third when their children are included. Ireland has the fourth-highest proportion of Israel-born Jews among European Jewish communities, after Norway, Finland and Bulgaria.
• Ireland's Israel-born population has nearly doubled since 2011, increasing from 464 to 903 in 2022. This reflects a wider European trend of 'Israelisation', in which immigration from Israel is reshaping Jewish communities across the continent.
• Irish Jews are predominantly secular and highly educated. Only around 24% are formally affiliated with a Jewish religious community, while 61% work in professional, managerial or technical occupations, compared with approximately 40% of Ireland's population.