Reflecting statistics from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland saw an immigration surge in the year leading up to April 2024 with 149,200 individuals moving there, marking a 17-year peak. This is the third consecutive year in which over 100,000 individuals have settled in the country, record immigration not seen since 2007.
Out of these immigrants, 30,000 were Irish citizens returning home, 27,000 were from EU countries, 5,400 from the UK, and a vast 86,800 from various countries, including Ukraine. Simultaneously, emigration also spiked with over 69,000 people leaving the country. This consisted of 34,700 Irish, 10,600 EU, 3,000 UK citizens and 21,500 from other countries including Ukraine, showing the most significant emigration since 2015.
Ireland’s total population is now 5.38 million, an increment of 98,700 from 2023, marking the most considerable burst in population in 16 years since 2008 when the numbers swelled by 109,200. Natural birth rate contributed to this increase with a rise of 19,400, owing to 54,200 births and 34,800 deaths.
The elderly population (aged 65 and over) in Ireland has increased by 156,800 to reach 833,300 in April 2024, whereas the number of people aged between 0 and 14 decreased slightly by 4,100, with over a million in that demographic.
As of 2024, the population of Ireland’s capital, Dublin, now constitutes 28.5% of the nation’s total population, up from 28.1% in 2018. This means the Dublin populace stands at 1,534,900.