Immigration hits 17 year high as emigration also rises - CSO

Michael Bolton

Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show the population of Ireland has risen by 98,700 people, the highest 12-month increase since 2008.

There were 149,200 immigrants, which was a 17-year-high. This was the third successive 12-month period where over 100,000 people immigrated to Ireland.

30,000 were returning Irish citizens, 27,000 were other EU citizens, and 5,400 were UK citizens. The remaining 86,800 immigrants were citizens of other countries.

Over 69,000 people departed the State in the 12 months to April 2024, compared with 64,000 in the same period of 2023. This is the highest emigration figure since 2015.

There was a natural increase of 19,400 people in the State which comprised 54,200 births and 34,800 deaths.

When it comes to population trends, there were 833,300 people living in Ireland aged 65 and over in April 2024.

Those aged 65 and over showed an increase in population share between 2018 and 2024, increasing from 13.8 per cent to 15.5 per cent of the population.

There was 1,010,300 people living in Ireland aged 0-14 in April 2024, a decrease from 20.8 per cent to 18.8 per cent of the total population.

The population of Dublin now stands at 1,534,900 people, an increase from 28.1 per cent of the total in 2018 to 28.5 per cent of the total in 2024.

In April 2024, 833,300 people were living in Ireland aged 65 and over, a volume increase of 156,800 people.