Demography
Westmeath's population growth has been stronger than the national average. After the Great Famine, the population of Westmeath declined dramatically. It stabilized in the middle of the 20th century, and has continued to grow. Westmeath's proximity to Dublin with good motorway facilities and frequent rail service has made commuting popular. The county town is Mullingar which has a population approaching 20,000. Athlone, Moate, Kilbeggan and Castlepollard are important commercial and marketing centres. Westmeath is the largest county by population in the Irish Midlands and contains Athlone, the largest town and commercial centre of the Midlands.
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1653 | 12,090 | — |
| 1659 | 12,672 | +4.8% |
| 1821 | 128,819 | +916.6% |
| 1831 | 136,872 | +6.3% |
| 1841 | 141,300 | +3.2% |
| 1851 | 111,407 | −21.2% |
| 1861 | 90,879 | −18.4% |
| 1871 | 78,432 | −13.7% |
| 1881 | 71,798 | −8.5% |
| 1891 | 65,109 | −9.3% |
| 1901 | 61,629 | −5.3% |
| 1911 | 59,986 | −2.7% |
| 1926 | 56,818 | −5.3% |
| 1936 | 54,706 | −3.7% |
| 1946 | 54,949 | +0.4% |
| 1951 | 54,463 | −0.9% |
| 1956 | 54,122 | −0.6% |
| 1961 | 52,861 | −2.3% |
| 1966 | 52,900 | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 53,570 | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 59,885 | +11.8% |
| 1981 | 61,523 | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 63,379 | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 61,880 | −2.4% |
| 1996 | 63,314 | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 71,858 | +13.5% |
| 2006 | 79,346 | +10.4% |
| 2011 | 86,164 | +8.6% |
Read more about this topic: County Westmeath