Migranto

Irish Diaspora

710.3K Irish live abroad — the #86 largest diaspora in the world

#86 worldwide#19 in Europe

Where emigrants go

The top 3 countries receive 81% of all emigrants

Largest destination
United Kingdom

360.4K

50.7% of all emigrants

2USA125.8K17.7%
3Australia90.2K12.7%
4Poland↑59%34.3K4.8%
5Canada28.9K4.1%
6Spain↑31%20K2.8%
7New Zealand↓31%9K1.3%
8Italy4.1K0.6%

↑↓ — change vs 2020

CountryEmigrants
United Kingdom360446
USA125844
Australia90203
Poland34300
Canada28912
Spain19990
New Zealand8989
Italy4101
Belgium3823
Denmark2603
South Africa2575
Romania2476
Hungary2413
Portugal2013
Lithuania1886
Luxembourg1651
Slovakia1624
Isle of Man1591
Malta1424
Japan1295
Norway1289
Czech Republic1149
China1102
Latvia862
Cyprus817
Finland786
Hong Kong749
Botswana661
Greece637
Bulgaria529
Bermuda385
Mexico370
Argentina340
Estonia336
Cayman Islands281
Peru253
Iceland227
Brazil208
Panama166
Moldova163
India155
Bolivia95
Slovenia66
Namibia65
Bahamas65
Venezuela54
Mauritius49
Croatia46
Costa Rica42
Papua New Guinea41
Dominican Republic36
Nicaragua25
Belarus22
Liechtenstein19
Saint Lucia15
Central African Republic11
El Salvador11
Mongolia7

By destination region

Europe is the leading destination region at 63%

Europe62.9%

446.5K

North America21.8%

155.1K

Oceania14.0%

99.2K

Africa0.5%

3.4K

Asia0.5%

3.3K

Latin America0.3%

2K

Middle East0.1%

817

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Interesting facts

Notable statistics about emigration from Ireland.

Poland is the fastest-growing major destination

Emigration to Poland has increased by 237% since 2015, rising from 10.2K to 34.3K in 9 years.

United Kingdom is the primary destination for emigrants

United Kingdom attracts 51% of all emigrants from Ireland, while the second-largest destination receives just 18%.

Top emigration destinations have shifted significantly since 1990

7 new countries have entered the top 20 destinations: Poland, Romania, Hungary — Poland rose from outside the top 20 to rank #4.

Emigration destinations have diversified since 1990

The top destination's share fell from 69% to 51%, indicating a broader spread of emigration patterns.

How emigration changed over time

Total emigrant population by year

YearEmigrants
1990925341
1995903610
2000808095
2005761270
2010761731
2015758366
2020725594
2024710293

Top destinations over time

Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries

United Kingdom USA Australia Poland Canada
YearUnited KingdomUSAAustraliaPolandCanada
199063557618296851489028551
199558622320777353596027326
200054030915620753566026072
20055047661362515576879422634
201047266713357871858385029436
2015431716134235906651018533605
2020392620128284877262160129975
2024360446125844902033430028912

Fastest-changing destinations

How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year

Peru253+132%
Malta1.4K+74%
Poland34.3K+59%
Panama166+52%
Iceland227+51%
Romania2.5K+45%
Brazil208+45%
Moldova163-43%

Ireland as an emigration source

Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Ireland

United Kingdom4%360.4K
Poland2%34.3K
Australia1%90.2K
New Zealand1%9K

Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)

Frequently asked questions

Where do Irish move to?

Most Irish have moved to United Kingdom, USA and Australia — these three countries account for about 81% of all Irish living abroad.

How many Irish live abroad?

Around 710.3K Irish live abroad, making it the #86-largest emigrant population in the world.

What share of the population of Ireland lives abroad?

About 13% of the population of Ireland lives abroad — that's 710.3K out of a total population of 5.4M.

How has emigration from Ireland changed over the past decade?

Over the past decade, the emigrant population from Ireland has fallen from 758.4K to 710.3K people, a decline of about 6%.

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