MIGRATION NATION

THE PLACE TO LIVE Figures from CSO show 100,000 people immigrated to Ireland in 2024 - a record figure

- BY OWEN CONLON

ALMOST 150,000 people immigrated to Ireland last year in a record figure but 69,000 also left, with many heading for Australia.

Details of arrivals and departures were revealed by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) yesterday in an insight into the country's population.

The CSO said in the 12 months to April 2024, just over 149,000 people entered the State to live.

This was a 16-year high and was also the third successive year where more than 100,000 people immigrated to Ireland.

Of the latest arrivals, 30,000 were returning Irish citizens, 27,000 were EU citizens, 5.400 were British, and almost 87,000 were citizens of other countries.

Other than EU nationals and Brits, the next biggest groups were from India, Ukraine and Brazil.

Half of those who landed were aged between 25 and 44, and just three per cent were over 65.

Migrants coming here were almost evenly split between men and women.

But while immigration was hitting record levels, emigration was almost half that. 69,000 people left these shores for further afield, the same number as in 2023 and just slightly ahead of the 67,000 in 2022.