Census of Population in Ireland


Censuses of population have been conducted in Ireland since 1841. Beginning in 1951, these censuses have been undertaken at 5 yearly intervals with the exceptions of 1976 and 2001. Between 1996 and 2006, the population of Ireland increased by 17% (CSO 2007) largely due to labour migration to Ireland and the demographic make up of the population changed substantially. The 2006 Census of population which was conducted by the Central Statistics Office on 23 April 2006 provides some very interesting statistics on cultural diversity in Ireland.

· Non-Irish nationals resident in the State increased by 87% over the four year period from 2002 -2006 (224,000 in 2002 to 420,000 in 2006).


The most recent Census took place on the 11th of April 2011. The 2011 form contained two additional sections relating to languages spoken in the home and the level of proficiency in spoken English of those who spoke languages other than English or Irish at home, as well as a question on perception of health.  Census forms were available in 21 languages, in addition to English and Irish. 

Preliminary results from the 2011 Census became available in July 2011. A breakdown of the nationality of residents in Ireland on the night of the census will not be available until 2012. Further information about the 2011 Census is available on the Central Statistics Office website.

 

Census 2006


· Accession of the EU 12 states in 2004 resulted in a large increase in inward migration of nationals from these countries. Census 2006 showed 63,276 Polish, 24,628 Lithuanian and 13,319 Latvians here.

The breakdown of Non- Irish nationals from the Census 2006 is as follows:

· UK (27%), EU 15 excluding UK (10%), EU 10 (29%), Rest of Europe (6%), Asia (11%), Africa (8%), America (5%), Australia (1%), Other (3%).

· Non-Irish nationals came from 188 different countries and the top ten nationalities were UK, Polish, Lithuanian, Nigerian, Latvian, US, Chinese, German, Filipino and French.

(Source: Central Statistics Office)


The results from the 2006 Census show that 420,000 non-Irish nationals were living in Ireland at the time of the Census and they came from 188 different countries. The top ten of these countries accounted for 82% of the total. The breakdown by nationality shows that the vast majority came from within the EU as illustrated by the chart below:

Non-Irish Natinals by nationality (figures as per Census 2006)

Of the 275,775 people who came from the EU, over 40% (112,548) of these were from the UK. The next highest groups were from Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The chart below shows the breakdown of non-Irish nationals from the EU:

Breakdown of Non Irish Nationals from the EU (as per Census 2006)

The Census also gives information on the occupations of Non –Irish nationals and shows that in April 2006, 15% were employed as service workers, 14% were working in the professional, technical and health sectors and 11% were working in building/construction – see chart below.

Occupations Non-Irish Natinals (as per Census 2006)

The Census 2006 is a rich source of information about the population of Ireland, immigration into Ireland and emigration from Ireland. The published reports provide detailed information on the diversity of the newcomers to Ireland, their living arrangements, educational attainment, occupations etc. The list below gives details of the publications available and these can be found on the CSO website.
Census 2006 Reports
Date Published
Preliminary Report19 Jul 06
Principal Demographic Results29 Mar 07
Volume 1 - Population Classified by Area26 Apr 07
Volume 2 - Ages and Marital Status10 May 07
Volume 3 - Household Composition, Family Units and Fertility31 May 07
Principal Socio-economic Results28 June 07
Volume 4 - Usual Residence, Migration, Birthplaces and Nationalities12 July 07
Volume 5 - Ethnic or Cultural Background (including the Irish Traveller Community) 26 July 07
Volume 6 - Housing 16 Aug 07
Volume 7 - Principal Economic Status and Industries06 Sep 07
Volume 8 - Occupations 20 Sep 07
Volume 9 - Irish Language04 Oct 07
Volume 10 - Education and Qualifications 18 Oct 07
Volume 11 - Disability, Carers and Voluntary Activities01 Nov 07
Volume 12 - Travel to Work, School and College15 Nov 07
Volume 13 - Religion 29 Nov 07
Non-Irish Nationals Living in Ireland 30 Jun 08




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