Population increases and flows from west to east

The population is continuing to grow despite continued high levels of emigration, the first results from the 2016 Census show.

However, the increase, which brings the total headcount to 4,757,976, is unbalanced across the country with numbers growing much more rapidly in the east and some counties in the west undergoing a decline.

There is also a growing gender imbalance, with the number of males falling to 978 for every 1,000 females — lower than the previous low point of 986 per 1,000 recorded in 1996.