Malahide grew from a population of 67 in 1921 to 1500 in 1960 and by 2011 had a population of 15,846, and is still a rapidly growing town for the Dublin area. Most of the population lives outside the core village, in residential areas such as Seapark, Biscayne, Robswall, Chalfont, Yellow Walls, Ard Na Mara, Seabury and Gainsborough. Malahide has a higher percentage of professionals living in it than any other town in Ireland, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office. Malahide came top of the socio-economic charts with the highest proportion of residents classified as employers, managers and higher professionals. These groups combined, make up 41.3% of Malahide's population.
In Malahide village there are extensive retail facilities and services including fashion boutiques, hair and beauty salons, florists, food outlets, and a small shopping centre. There is a wide selection of pubs (including Gibney's, Fowler's, Duffy's and Gilbert and Wright's) and restaurants and the 203-room Grand Hotel.