Where Irish move
710.3K Irish live abroad — #86 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from Ireland? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 81% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 360446 |
| United States | 125844 |
| Australia | 90203 |
| Poland | 34300 |
| Canada | 28912 |
| Spain | 19990 |
| New Zealand | 8989 |
| Italy | 4101 |
| Belgium | 3823 |
| Denmark | 2603 |
| South Africa | 2575 |
| Romania | 2476 |
| Hungary | 2413 |
| Portugal | 2013 |
| Lithuania | 1886 |
| Luxembourg | 1651 |
| Slovakia | 1624 |
| Isle of Man | 1591 |
| Malta | 1424 |
| Japan | 1295 |
| Norway | 1289 |
| Czechia | 1149 |
| China | 1102 |
| Latvia | 862 |
| Cyprus | 817 |
| Finland | 786 |
| Hong Kong | 749 |
| Botswana | 661 |
| Greece | 637 |
| Bulgaria | 529 |
| Bermuda | 385 |
| Mexico | 370 |
| Argentina | 340 |
| Estonia | 336 |
| Cayman Islands | 281 |
| Peru | 253 |
| Iceland | 227 |
| Brazil | 208 |
| Panama | 166 |
| Moldova | 163 |
| India | 155 |
| Bolivia | 95 |
| Slovenia | 66 |
| Namibia | 65 |
| Bahamas | 65 |
| Venezuela | 54 |
| Mauritius | 49 |
| Croatia | 46 |
| Costa Rica | 42 |
| Papua New Guinea | 41 |
| Dominican Republic | 36 |
| Nicaragua | 25 |
| Belarus | 22 |
| Liechtenstein | 19 |
| Saint Lucia | 15 |
| Central African Republic | 11 |
| El Salvador | 11 |
| Mongolia | 7 |
By destination region
Europe is the leading destination region at 63%
446.5K
155.1K
99.2K
3.4K
3.3K
2K
817
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
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 925341 |
| 1995 | 903610 |
| 2000 | 808095 |
| 2005 | 761270 |
| 2010 | 761731 |
| 2015 | 758366 |
| 2020 | 725594 |
| 2024 | 710293 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | United Kingdom | United States | Australia | Poland | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 635576 | 182968 | 51489 | 0 | 28551 |
| 1995 | 586223 | 207773 | 53596 | 0 | 27326 |
| 2000 | 540309 | 156207 | 53566 | 0 | 26072 |
| 2005 | 504766 | 136251 | 55768 | 794 | 22634 |
| 2010 | 472667 | 133578 | 71858 | 3850 | 29436 |
| 2015 | 431716 | 134235 | 90665 | 10185 | 33605 |
| 2020 | 392620 | 128284 | 87726 | 21601 | 29975 |
| 2024 | 360446 | 125844 | 90203 | 34300 | 28912 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Ireland as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Ireland