A vision of Ireland through time
A vision of Ireland from 1821 onwards.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
A vision of Ireland through time
A vision of Ireland from 1821 onwards.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
We let you look at total population in two ways.
Firstly, population density: which areas had the most people?
Density is calculated as the number of people per hectare, and
we have measured areas from a modern digital map of the local
authorities rather than relying on the doubtful acreages given in
historical reports.
Secondly, growth rates: where was population rising fastest,
or declining? We also look at the ratio of men to women.
This theme also covers people's ages.
From 1851 onwards, the census has provided very detailed statistics
of age structure, giving numbers of males and of females in each 5-year age band.
However, we simplify this here to three broad age groups:
Children (0-14), Working Age (15-64) and the Elderly (over 65).
Over the last 150 years, our population has clearly aged.
However, mortality decline in the late 19th century was mainly due to the
reduction of very high infant mortality rates:
the presence or absence of large number of infants dying before their first
birthday had little effect on overall age structures.
During the twentieth century, declining fertility and improved life expectancy
in later life significantly changed age structures.
We hold these detailed statistics for Fife, which we graph and tabulate here:
| Available datasets | Period covered | Variables (number of categories) |
|---|---|---|
| Age, Sex & Marital Status data in 5-year bands to age 100 | 1911 |
Sex
(2) Marital Status (4) Age in five-year bands to age 100 (21) |
| Age & Sex Structure data in 5-year bands to age 100 | 1851 to 1911 |
Sex
(2) Age in five-year bands to age 100 (21) |
| Age & Sex Structure data in 5-year bands to age 105 | 1861 to 1871 |
Sex
(2) Age in five-year bands to age 105 (22) |
| Age & Sex Structure data in 5-year bands to age 95 | 1961 to 1971 |
Sex
(2) Age in five-year bands to age 95 (20) |
| Age & Sex Structure data in single years under 5 | 1861 to 1911 |
Sex
(2) Age in single years between birth & 5 (5) |
| Age & Sex Structure data in single years under 5 | 1911 |
Sex
(2) Marital Status (4) Age in single years between birth & 5 (5) |
| Age & Sex Structure in 5-year bands to age 85 (under 1s separate) | 1931 to 1951 |
Sex
(2) Age in 5-year bands to age 85, under 1s separate (20) |
| Age & Sex Structure to age 85 & up | 1851 to 1971 |
Sex
(2) Age in five-year bands to age 85 (19) |
| Age Structure data in 5-year bands to age 100 | 1911 |
Age in five-year bands to age 100
(21) |
| Age Structure data in single years under 5 | 1911 |
Age in single years between birth & 5
(5) |
| Area (acres) | 1871 to 1951 |
Area (acres)
(1) |
| Males & Females | 1801 to 1971 |
Sex
(2) |
| Males & Females (20 years earlier) | 1951 |
Sex
(2) |
| Population Change | 1811 to 1931 |
Population Change
(2) |
| Total Families | 1831 |
Total Families
(1) |
| Total number of males aged 20 & over | 1831 |
1831 Occupational Categories Total
(1) |
| Total Population | 1801 to 1971 |
Total Population
(4) |
Read more about how we hold statistics here.