“Non-Irish Citizens Comprise 12% of Population: Census 2022 Reveals Immigration Trends from India”
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has revealed that non-Irish citizens now constitute 12 percent of the population, as per the recently released Census 2022 data, which focuses on Diversity, Migration, Ethnicity, Irish Travellers, and Religion.
In the year leading up to the Census, nearly 10,000 individuals migrated to Ireland from India, while over 5,000 arrivals were from Brazil. Notably, UK citizens had the highest average age among non-Irish citizens, standing at 50 years. In contrast, Irish citizens had an average age of 39 years, and Ukrainian citizens had the lowest average age among non-Irish citizens, at 25 years.
The impact of the Ukrainian crisis is evident in the data, with 4,247 non-Irish citizens hailing from Ukraine in the year preceding Census 2022. However, it’s worth noting that this figure may appear lower than expected, as some Ukrainians did not identify themselves as usual residents of the state, thus being excluded from this count.
Furthermore, the report highlights a significant increase in immigration, with 10,593 Indian citizens arriving in Ireland in 2021, marking a 315 percent rise compared to the year leading up to Census 2016. Similarly, 4,689 Brazilian citizens migrated to Ireland in the same year, reflecting a 2 percent increase from the 2016 figures. Additionally, 4,174 Spanish citizens arrived in Ireland in 2021, marking a notable 43 percent increase compared to the year leading up to Census 2016.
Remarkably, five European Union countries, including Romania, France, Italy, and Poland, featured in the top 10 countries of origin for immigrants to Ireland, further underscoring the nation’s growing diversity.
The recent Census data also reveals that 77% of the population, representing just under 3.9 million individuals, identified their ethnic group or background as “White Irish.” Following this, the next largest ethnic group was “Any other white background” at 10%, followed by Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi at 2%, and Black or Black Irish at 1%.
Notably, the Census 2022 data also underscores that Irish travellers have a younger population in comparison to the overall population. The data indicates that there are nearly 33,000 Irish travellers residing in Ireland, reflecting a 6% increase. The average age among Irish travellers stands at 27, notably younger than the national average of 39 years. Moreover, only 5% of Irish travellers are aged over 65, while this figure is 15% for the general population. Children under 15 constitute over a third of the Irish Traveller community, a notable contrast to the 20% in the total population.
Furthermore, the data reveals a significant increase in the number of people in Ireland who identify as having “no religion.” More than 736,000 individuals, accounting for 14% of the population, reported having no religion in the 2022 Census, marking a remarkable 63% increase from the 2016 Census. Additionally, the percentage of the population identifying as Roman Catholic decreased from 79% in 2016 to 69% in 2022.
The CSO also noted that individuals aged between 25 and 29 were less likely to identify as Roman Catholics compared to other age groups and represented the highest proportion of people with no religious affiliation. The data further revealed variations in religious affiliation based on citizenship, with 70% of Polish citizens identifying as Roman Catholic, 41% of UK citizens having no religion, and nearly half of Indian citizens practicing Hinduism.
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