Leitrim was the county with the highest rate of volunteers (18%) on Census night in April 2022.
Latest data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows that in April 2022, more than 700,000 people, or around 14% of the population, regularly engaged in helping or voluntary work.
The lowest number of volunteers were in Dublin city and south Dublin, both at 11%.
The largest number of volunteers were involved in a sporting organisation, at almost 290,000 people, or 6% of the population.
The next most common areas where people volunteered were in their community or in a social or charitable organisation.
Men were most likely to volunteer in a sporting organisation while women were more likely to volunteer in their community.
The data shows that the proportion of people engaged in helping or voluntary work increased with age.
Over one-third (38%) of all volunteers were aged between 45 and 64 years.
Around 16% of volunteers, or more than 113,000 people, volunteered in more than one activity or organisation.
Among younger people, 3% of children under the age of 15 (over 30,000 people) volunteered in at least one activity.
Census 2022 was the first to feature a question on volunteering since 2006.
The data also shows that almost 25% of people who work from home for some part of the week volunteer.
Time is often identified as the most common reason people do not volunteer and the data indicates that people who have more time are more likely to volunteer.
However, Volunteer Ireland said it is important to note that not all volunteer roles demand huge time commitments.
CEO Nina Arwitz noted the high levels of interest in volunteering from new people arriving in Ireland including people seeking protection and Ukrainians.
"Through volunteering, people can become active members of their new community, make friends, learn English and build their own local network. It's important to remember that people making Ireland their home make a huge contribution to our communities," she said.
Ms Arwitz also pointed out that many organisations are currently struggling to recruit volunteers and they would encourage them to ensure that their volunteer programmes are open and inclusive to all members of the community.
"Small changes can make a big difference to attracting diverse volunteers. For example, covering a volunteer’s bus fare to travel to the organisation can make it possible someone who is unemployed or living in direct provision to volunteer," she added.
