Environment—international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species,
Marine Life Conservation, Tropical Timber 94
Geography—note: strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides within 97 km of Dublin
People
Population: 3,632,944 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21% (male 399,379; female 377,366)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,232,072; female 1,213,364)
65 years and over: 12% (male 174,519; female 236,244) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.38% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 13.58 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 8.43 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)