12 weeks after Census 2011 was held, preliminary figures show that there are now 116,885 people living in County Clare.
This marks an increase of almost 6,000 residents in the county, but the 5.3% rate of growth is lower than the national average of around 8%.
Tulla has seen the largest percentage growth in population of any town in the county, up over 14%, while increases have also been recorded in Scariff, Ennistymon and Ennis – Kilrush and Ballyvaughan are among the areas to see population decreases however.
Nationally, the population has increased by 340,000 in the last five years, and now stands at just under 4.6 million.
Reflecting the national trend, the figures show there are now 600 more females than males in the county – five years ago there were an extra 1,000 men.
Meanwhie, statistics on dwellings are also included in today’s figures, and show that more than one in five Clare homes are vacant.
