Overview
In April 2016, there were 535,475 non-Irish nationals from 200 different nations living in Ireland. This represents a 1.6 per cent decreased on the 2011 Census figure of 544,357.
The highest nationality grouping was:
- Polish: 211,515
- UK nationals: 103,113
- Lithuanian: 36,552
- Romanian: 29,186
- Latvian: 19,933
- Brazilian: 13,640
Non-Irish nationals at county level
The highest numbers of non-Irish nationals were resident in the following administrative counties:
- Dublin City: 91,876
- Fingal: 46,909
- Cork County: 42,002
Dual nationality
The number of persons with a dual Irish nationality almost doubled to 104,784 in Census 2016 from 55,905 in 2011.
The highest dual nationalities were:
- Irish-Americans: 17,552
- Irish-UK: 15,428
- Irish-Polish: 9,273
Demographics
The gender breakdown of non-Irish nationals comprised:
- 267,088 males
- 268,387 females
Nearly half of all non-Irish nationals were in the 25-42 year age group, compared with less than a quarter of Irish nationals. Persons aged 65 years or over accounted for less than 5 per cent of the non-Irish population in contrast to nearly 15 per cent for Irish nationals. In the younger age groups just 12.3 per cent of non-Irish nationals were aged 0 to 14 years compared with 22.5 per cent of Irish nationals.
Labour force
- 293,830 non-Irish nationals were at work in Ireland in April 2016 (14.9 per cent of the workforce).
- Almost 15.4 per cent of non-Irish nationals were unemployed compared to 12.6 per cent of Irish nationals.
The top 5 non-Irish nationalities at work in Ireland:
- Polish: 75,508
- UK nationals: 48,091
- Lithuanian: 21,674
- Romanian: 17,134
- Latvian: 10,980
The main sectors of employment were:
- Wholesale and Retail trade: 45,812
- Accommodation and Food Services: 40,859
- Manufacturing Industries: 36,387
- Human Health and Social Work: 21,779
Recent Immigration
In the year prior to April 2016, 82,346 persons arrived to live in Ireland of which 53,708 were non-Irish nationals and 28,143 were Irish nationals (495 did not state their nationality):
- UK nationals were the largest group (5,840)
- followed by Polish nationals (4,029).
For more information:
See CSO Press Release and Infographic.
