CSO records 149,000 immigrants in 12 months, the highest number in 16 years

Returning Irish people made up 30,000 of the 149,000 arrivals in the 12 months to April 2024, the third successive year in which incomings numbered more than 100,000. Picture: iStock

Nearly 150,000 people migrated to Ireland in the 12 months to April 2024, the largest number in 16 years, according to the Central Statistics Office.

The CSO said more than 149,000 people immigrated over that time period, the third successive year in which incomings numbered more than 100,000.

Some 30,000 of that number were returning Irish citizens, 27,000 came from elsewhere in the EU, and nearly 87,000 were other nationalities.

Just 5,400 of the incoming cohort were British citizens.

The vast majority of those entering Ireland, some 77,200 people, were aged between 25 and 44, the CSO said, with those aged between 25 and 34 showing the highest migration flows.

The lowest proportion of people entering Ireland were those aged over 65, who accounted for just 3% of the movement noted.

Aside from other EU countries and Britain, citizens of India, Brazil, and Ukraine were the most likely to move to Ireland.

Ukrainians the exception to gender split 

Incoming arrivals are split evenly between men and women. The exception in recent years to this was in August, September, and October 2022, in the aftermath of the conflict emerging between Russia and Ukraine, when a significantly higher number of females entered Ireland than males.

However, while the country saw record levels of immigration in the year to April, emigration levels were also at their highest in a decade at the same time. At least 69,000 emigrated during the 12 months in question, 35,000 of them Irish citizens, with Australia one of the most popular destinations.

With 10,600 people heading there, 2024 saw Australia’s popularity among the Irish diaspora reach its highest levels since the post-crash days of 2013.

Population estimate of 5.38m 

The CSO said that, at best estimate, Ireland’s population in the non-census year starting April 2024 was just under 5.38m people.

The population of Dublin at that time was 1.53m, representing 28.5% of the total, while across the country 4.5m people living in Ireland held Irish citizenship, just under 85% of the total.

A recent study by the Economic and Social Research Institute suggests the majority of Irish people have a positive view of migration into Ireland.

However, the ESRI also found that “people with lower qualifications and those who find ‘making ends meet’ more difficult” are less positive about immigration overall, believe protesting international protection arrivals is more acceptable, and feel less comfortable with the majority of migrant groupings.