The Greater Dublin Area (GDA; Irish: Mórcheantar Bhaile Átha Cliath), or Greater Dublin, is an informal term that is taken to include the city of Dublin and its hinterland, with varying definitions as to its extent. At the expansive end, it has been defined as including all of County Dublin and three neighbouring counties, while more commonly it is taken as the contiguous metropolitan area of Dublin plus suburban and commuter towns. The area is defined for strategic planning, and, for example, transport, and it is not a formal administrative or political unit.

The area has a broadly similar outline to the medieval Pale area which was under English control.

Definitions Planning usage The 2003 Regional Planning Guidelines referred to the Greater Dublin Area as a planning district separated into a "metropolitan area" and a "hinterland area".

The "metropolitan area" included both suburbs and commuter towns, covering the area from Swords and Malahide in Fingal, to Greystones in County Wicklow in the south, and as far west as Kilcock in County Kildare. This area differs from the Garda "metropolitan region" scope, in that it stretches approximately 20 km further west.

The Dublin Metropolitan Area is now defined as: Local government areaArea within DMADublin cityWhole territoryDún Laoghaire–RathdownCounty, except for parts of the electoral divisions of Tibradden and Glencullen comprising the townlands of Stackstown, Ticknock, Kilmashogue, Tibradden, Ballybrack, Glendoo, Boranaraltry, Glencullen Mountain and Brockery.South DublinCounty, except for parts of Rathcoole, Saggart, Ballinacorny and Bohernabreen comprising the townlands of Aghfarrell, Allagour, Ballinascorney (Lower and Upper), Ballymaice, Ballymorefinn, Belgard Deer Park, Brittas (Big and Little), Calliaghstown Upper, Castlekelly, Corrageen, Cunard, Friarstown Lower, Glassamucky, Glassamucky Brakes, Glassamucky Mountain, Glassavullaun, Glenaraneen, Glendoo, Gortlum, Killakee, Lugg, Mountpelier, Mountseskin, Piperstown, Raheen, Slademore, Slievethoul and parts of the townlands of Crockaunadreenagh*, Crooksling*, Cruagh*, Ballymana, Calliaghstown Lower, Coolmine, Corbally, Jamestown (ED Whitechurch), Killinardan, Kiltalown, Lugmore*, Kiltipper, Newtown Upper, Orlagh, Redgap, Saggart, Slade, Tibradden and Woodtown. * These townlands are more than 50% in the hinterland area.FingalElectoral divisions including Airport, Baldoyle, Balgriffin, Blanchardstown (Abbotstown, Blakestown, Coolmine, Corduff, Delwood, Mulhuddart, Roselawn, Tyrrelstown), Castleknock (Knockmaroon, Park), Donabate, Dubber, Howth, Kilsallaghan, Kinsaley, Lucan North, Malahide (East and West), Portmarnock (North and South), Sutton, Swords (Forrest, Glasmore, Lissenhall, Seatown, Village), The Ward, Turnapin. County KildareElectoral divisions of Celbridge, Donaghcumper, Kilcock, Leixlip, Maynooth, Straffan.County MeathElectoral divisions of Dunboyne and Rodanstown.County WicklowElectoral divisions of Bray No.1, Bray No. 2, Bray No. 3, Rathmichael, Delgany, Greystones and the following townlands in the Kilmacanogue electoral division: Corrigoona Commons West, Corrigoona Commons East, Glencormick North, Glencormick South, Kilcroney, Wingfield, Hollybrook, Kilmacanogue North, Kilmacanogue South, and Barchuillia Commons.

The Dublin "Hinterland" area is aligned with the Draft National Planning Framework, which defines city regions or urban hinterlands as those EDs where at least 15% of the workforce (Full POWCAR) are employed in the Dublin Metropolitan Area (NTA boundary).

Dublin Transport Authority At the broader end of definitions, the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 defines the Greater Dublin Area as including the counties of Dublin (Dublin City, South Dublin, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown and Fingal), Meath, Kildare, and Wicklow; as of 2022, its estimated population is 2,073,459.

Former boundaries The urban part of Dublin and surrounding areas has been defined by various statutory instruments, mainly those referring to the Garda Síochána and Courts of the Republic of Ireland. The city, three other counties within the traditional County Dublin, and three neighbouring counties, were grouped together in the order creating the Dublin Transportation Office, giving functions and representations to the office in this area, although not using the term. The office was purely advisory and had no executive powers. The term was later defined in section 3 of the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008. On 1 December 2009 the DTO became the National Transport Authority, with a remit expanding beyond the Greater Dublin Area.

Garda usage The Garda used the term the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) which was formerly the jurisdiction, within the eastern part of Ireland, of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, which was subsequently merged into the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. The term originated from the Police Forces Amalgamation Act 1925, which amalgamated the Dublin Metropolitan Police and Garda Síochána as one national police force.

This jurisdiction covered parts of the old County Dublin (except the northern part around Swords) as well as the County Kildare town of Leixlip and the County Wicklow towns of Bray, Greystones and Enniskerry. Swords was covered by the Meath Garda Division. In this way, it differed from the usual definition of County Dublin and did not even conform to the looser definition of the Greater Dublin Area.

The definition no longer applies, as during 2008 the Garda divisions were realigned along Regional and county boundaries. As of 2009, the Dublin Metropolitan Region is co-extensive with the combined area of the city of Dublin, and the counties of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin. Leixlip was moved to the County Kildare Division and became the district headquarters for the new Leixlip District. Bray moved into the new County Wicklow Division and became district headquarters for the Bray District.

Population The population of the Dublin City and County (Dublin City, Fingal, South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown) and Outer Greater Dublin (Meath, Kildare and Wicklow) as of the 2022 census was 2,082,605 persons. This equates to 40.5% of Ireland's population. Estimates published by the Central Statistics Office suggest that the population will reach 2.4 million by 2026. The figures are based on a regional breakdown of previously published national population projections and assume that current demographic trends will continue.

The CSO also uses the narrower definition which comprises Dublin City and its suburbs within the 3 local Dublin authorities. The boundaries for suburbs are not legally defined, but drawn and revised by the CSO in accordance with United Nations recommendations. The population distribution of the Greater Dublin Area as of the 2011, 2016 and 2022 censuses was as follows:

+ Population of the Greater Dublin Area Administrative division Population Population increase 2011 2016 2022 scope="row" rowspan="11" scope="row" rowspan="6" Dublin City 527,612 553,165 592,713 35,068 Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown 206,261 217,274 233,860 16,183 Fingal 273,991 296,214 330,506 33,004 South Dublin 265,205 278,749 301,705 21,044 County Dublin 1,273,069 1,345,402 1,458,154 105,299 County Meath 184,135 194,942 220,826 25,252 County Kildare 210,312 222,130 247,774 24,473 County Wicklow 136,640 142,332 155,851 13,060 Meath, Kildare, Wicklow 531,087 559,404 624,451 63,354 Greater Dublin Area (max. def.) 1,804,156 1,904,806 2,082,605 168,653

Historical + Population of the Greater Dublin Area, 1841–2022 Census year Population Population change Percentage 1841 683,232 10.5% 1851 740,597 57,365 14.5% 1861 698,050 -42,547 15.9% 1871 663,131 -34,919 16.4% 1881 652,569 -10,562 16.9% 1891 628,539 -24,030 18.1% 1901 640,093 11,554 19.9% 1911 669,625 29,532 21.3% 1926 685,242 15,617 23.1% 1936 774,791 89,549 26.1% 1946 827,725 52,934 28.0% 1961 906,347 78,622 32.2% 1971 1,062,220 155,873 35.7% 1981 1,290,154 227,934 37.5% 1986 1,336,119 45,965 37.8% 1991 1,350,595 14,476 38.3% 1996 1,405,671 55,076 38.8% 2002 1,535,446 129,775 39.2% 2006 1,662,536 127,090 39.2% 2011 1,801,040 138,504 39.3% 2016 1,904,806 103,766 40.0% 2022 2,082,605 177,799 40.4%

Gallery

See also Belfast metropolitan area Derry Urban Area List of metropolitan areas in Europe

References

External links Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly Dublin Regional Authority Greater Dublin population to reach two million, from RTÉ News Regional Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area Cities/Towns Boundaries CSO page with links to Shapefile data for the boundary of the CSO-defined Greater Dublin Area; readable by Geographic information systems