Population to hit five million next year, CSO figures suggest

Ireland's population has reached its highest point in 170 years and could be set to pass the five million mark as early as next year.

The latest Population and Migration Estimates report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows that the population of Ireland increased by 64,500, bringing the overall total to 4.92 million as of the end of April this year.

It is the result of positive net migration and a sustained natural increase, according to CSO statistician, James Hegarty.

The report states that Ireland's usually resident population is now estimated to be 4,921,500. This is the highest point that Ireland's population has been since the census of 1851, when it was recorded at 5.1 million. By the time of the 1861 census, it had dropped to 4.4 million as a result of mass emigration in the decades after the famine of the 1840s.

The report notes that 88,600 people immigrated to Ireland in the year ending April 2019. This is a slight decline from the previous 12 months when the figure was 90,300.

Of those to immigrate this year, almost one-third - 26,900 (30.4%) - were returning Irish nationals.

Press Page Population and Migration Estimates 2019https://t.co/mOLzPTKMS4 #CSOIreland #Ireland #Population #PopulationEstimates #Migration #MigrationEstimates pic.twitter.com/2tk1MBMkDe

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) August 27, 2019

However, of the 54,900 people who emigrated from Ireland in the year ending April 2019, more than half - 29,000 - were Irish nationals. As such, there was a decline of 2,100 in the number of Irish nationals in Ireland.

In comparison, there was a net increase of non-Irish nationals of 35,800 in the year ending April 2019. According to the CSO report, this now means that non-Irish nationals represent 12.7% of the population, some 622,700.

The number of births recorded in the year ending April was 61,200, while the number of deaths was 30,400. This resulted in a natural population increase of 30,800.

In a tweet, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar heralded the news: "Ireland’s population now approaching 5 million. More people living, working and raising families in Ireland than at any point since independence. Our people are our greatest strength."

Ireland’s population now approaching 5 million. More people living, working and raising families in Ireland than at any point since independence. Our people are our greatest strength. https://t.co/A2sNe70Ket

— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) August 27, 2019

Other main features of the 2019 figures are:

• Non-Irish nationals from outside the EU continued to display strong migration flows, accounting for 30,600 (34.5%) of total immigrants and 11,200 (20.4%) of total emigrants
• In April 2019, 53,000 (66.9%) of immigrants aged 15+ had a 3rd level qualification
• In the year to April 2019, 19,700 immigrants arrived to live in Ireland from the UK, 11,600 emigrants left Ireland to live in Britain

All regions are deemed to have a population increase, though Dublin remains the largest growth region.

Dublin now has a population of almost 1.4 million, accounting for more than 28% of the entire population of Ireland. This increased by 1.8% in the last 12 months.

In comparison, the population of the mid-west increased by just 0.5% or 2,600 people.

Ireland's population growth is significantly faster than many of our European neighbours, according to economist Austin Hughes.

"[The population estimates] show population growth of 1.3%, which is just over six times the 0.2% increase in the EU 28," he said.

"It should be noted that Ireland’s population growth is the third fastest in the EU after Malta (+3.8%) and Luxembourg (+2.0%). However, both of those countries figures are swollen by rapid net inward migration. In contrast, Irish population growth of 64.5k in 2019 is broadly balanced between net inward migration of 33.7k and a 30.8k ‘natural’ increase."