Dublin, Ireland’s vibrant multicultural capital, has a relatively small but increasingly cosmopolitan population of about 1.4 million, with one in five of the city’s inhabitants hailing from overseas. The city known as 'Baile Átha Cliath' in Irish, meaning “town of the hurdled fort”, is a modern economic and cultural centre complemented by a distinctive history and built heritage. The Greater Dublin Area is currently home to four out of every ten people in Ireland while accounting for half of Ireland’s GDP. It accounts for just under two thirds (61%) of total revenue for the Irish Government from VAT, Income and Capital Gains Tax. Internationally, the country ranks 7 out of 193 graded according to the UN’s Human Development Index with Dublin boasting a GDP per capita of US$80,000.
From an employment perspective, Dublin is home to approximately one million of Ireland’s 2.7 million strong workforce. Dublin is renowned as a major hub for technology with the area neighbouring its financial services centre nicknamed ‘Silicon Docks’ in reference to it being home to the European headquarters of several multinational corporations like Google, Salesforce and HubSpot, amongst others. In addition, the city benefits from the country’s reputation for educational, operational and innovational excellence in the life sciences sector with several major players in the pharmaceutical industries including Pfizer, Mallinckrodt and Novartis located in the city or its hinterland.
Overall, the city has advantageous enabling conditions with sound institutions, a pro-business environment with progressive taxation, strong endowments particularly in terms of its demography and geographical positioning as an entry point to the European market. It benefits from a young and highly educated English-speaking workforce, which drives innovation and economic growth in the region. Educational Institutions such as Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin perform strongly in the QS World University Ranking system, consistently producing robust educational and research output. The country is second only to Japan in terms of share of working age population with tertiary education in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development).
Notwithstanding the many positive aspects of its profile, Dublin’s Urban Management and Governance and Liveability and Loveability scores reflect ongoing challenges including, strain on infrastructure, housing and public services, exacerbated by rapid population growth and economic expansion leading to worsening housing shortages and increased living costs. The city has, however, done well to implement human-centric urban design across various neighbourhoods, contributing to a strong identity.
