Record immigrants boost population to 3.9m
The number of people moving to Ireland has reached the highest point in the country’s history, according to official figures released in Dublin today.
Returns from the Irish Central Statistics Office also showed that Ireland’s population in April stood at more than 3.9 million – the largest total since 1871.
The CSO said that in the year up to April, the number of immigrants was 47,500. Over the same period, the emigration total was 18,800, leaving the net incoming figure at 28,700.
The age profile of those leaving was lower than those moving in the opposite direction, with almost half of them under the age of 24 years.
The largest group of immigrants – 38% – was made up of Irish people returning to live in their home country, but the number coming from outside the European Union and the United States increased by 9%, to 35%.
British people accounted for 11% of the immigration total and 13% were from other EU states.
The figures indicated births exceeding deaths by more than 29,000 – the highest natural increase in the Irish population in 18 years.
