Editing Castlebar (section)

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations|state=collapsed
|1821|5404
|1831|6373
|1841|5137
|1851|4016
|1861|3022
|1871|3571
|1881|3855
|1891|3558
|1901|3585
|1911|3698
|1926|4266
|1936|4826
|1946|4951
|1951|5288
|1956|5321
|1961|5852
|1966|6292
|1971|6476
|1981|7423
|1986|7645
|1991|7648
|1996|8532
|2002|11371
|2006|11891
|2011|12318
|2016|12068
|2022|13054
|footnote=<ref>Histpop.org for post 1821 figures</ref><ref>1813 estimate from Mason's Statistical Survey</ref><ref>For a discussion on the accuracy of pre-famine census returns see JJ Lee “On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p54</ref><ref>New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850 by Joel Mokyr and Cormac O Grada in The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov., 1984), pp. 473–488</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cso.ie/census |title=Cso.ie - Census |access-date=21 July 2009 |archive-date=20 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920090814/http://cso.ie/census |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.citypopulation.de/php/ireland.php?cityid=0235 | title=City Population – Castlebar (Mayo) | access-date=5 March 2014 | archive-date=28 September 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928214625/http://www.citypopulation.de/php/ireland.php?cityid=0235 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="census2016">{{cite web | url = http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=ST2016&Geog_Code=9396D478-6852-45A1-BBAB-C11696D4BBAA | publisher = Central Statistics Office | work = Census 2016 | title = Sapmap Area - Settlements - Castlebar | date = April 2016 | access-date = 8 September 2019 | archive-date = 27 October 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201027213554/http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=ST2016&Geog_Code=9396D478-6852-45A1-BBAB-C11696D4BBAA | url-status = live }}</ref>
}}

Castlebar has experienced significant demographic changes over the past two centuries, with population figures showing notable fluctuations from 5,404 in 1821 to a low of 3,022 in 1861 in the wake of the [[Great Irish famine]]. There was a gradual recovery through the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After steady but modest growth for much of the 20th century, Castlebar expanded rapidly during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. The population grew by one-third in the six years between the 1996 and 2002 census, reflecting a broader trend of urbanisation and economic development in Ireland during the [[Celtic Tiger]] period. According to the 2016 census,<ref name="census2016"/> the town's population reached 12,068, representing a threefold increase from the 1926 figure of 4,256.<ref>"Castlebar,", ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 14th ed., vol. 5 (London and New York, 1929).</ref> By 2022, this figure had risen again to 13,054, marking Castlebar's continuing role as a key urban centre in County Mayo.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=29 June 2023 |title=Press Statement Census 2022 Results Profile 1 - Population Distribution and Movements Mayo  |url=https://www.cso.ie/en/csolatestnews/pressreleases/2023pressreleases/pressstatementcensus2022resultsprofile1-populationdistributionandmovementsmayo/ |website=CSO.ie |location= |publisher= |access-date=21 May 2025 |quote=Looking at Mayo, we can see that Castlebar was the largest town, with a population of 13,054 in April 2022.}}</ref>