Dublin's population is expected to swell by over 30% by 2036 according to a new report from the Central Statistics Office.
According to the Regional Population Projections 2017-2036 report, the capital's population will grow 31.9% from 1.34m in 2016 to 1.76m in 2036.
Dublin and the Mid-East region are expected to experience the strongest population growth over the next 20 years.
The report presents six different regional population projection results for each year from 2017 to 2036.
CSO Statistician James Hegarty said: “This publication is not an attempt to predict the future but rather presents how the population could evolve under six different scenarios.
"By making assumptions about future trends in mortality, fertility, internal and international migration we can project the population forward and examine the possible outcomes for demographic groups such as the school-going population, the working-age population and the elderly.”
While one of the scenarios predicts the massive swell in Dublin's population, another expects a more modest increase.
Mr Hegarty explained: "With international migration into Ireland of 20,000 persons per annum and internal migration inflows to Dublin from the other regions, the population of Dublin is expected to increase by 31.9%, from 1.34 million in 2016 to 1.76 million persons by 2036, representing 31.6% of the State total.
"With the same level of international migration into Ireland, but this time accompanied by population movement from Dublin to other regions, the population of Dublin is expected to increase by just 11.6% to 1.49 million persons by 2036.
"In this scenario, the Mid-East region is projected to show the strongest population gains, increasing by 35.6% from 690,900 persons in 2016 to 937,100 persons by 2036."
Ireland’s population stood at 4.74m in 2016 and is projected to increase to between 5.33m and 5.81m over the next two decades.
The South-West, Mid-West, West and Border regions are projected to account for a lower percentage share of the total population under all scenarios presented by the report.
The number of people aged 65 years and over is projected to increases by over 65% across all regions in the same time period.
