Census 2022: Six in 10 Irish residents live in county of their birth, with highest percentage in Cork

Almost three-quarters of all Cork residents were born in the county, significantly higher than the national average, according to the latest release from the 2022 census.

On Thursday, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the population distribution and movements profile of the most recent census.

It found that nearly 60 per cent of the 5.1 million people usually resident in the State were living in the county of their birth.

Cork had the highest percentage (72 per cent) of residents born in the county, while Meath had the lowest percentage (32 per cent) of residents that were born in the county.

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In the year prior to the census, one in twenty residents aged one year and over - 265,098 people - moved within the State.

This was an increase of 0.6 per cent (1,547 people) compared to 2016. Of those who moved in the 12 months to April 2022, 29 per cent (76,683 people) were living in a different county prior to their move. Dublin county accounted for 35 per cent of movers.

There was a 2 per cent increase in the number of households moving in the year prior to the census compared with those who moved in the year prior to Census 2016.

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People aged 26 were most likely to move, with 15 per cent of those at this age moving in the year before the Census.

The proportion moving after age 26 gradually decreased, with fewer than 2 per cent of people aged 65 moving in the year before the census.

Movers in Roscommon and Leitrim were most likely to move to a different county, with 46 per cent and 45 per cent respectively, of movers doing so.

One in four Dublin movers left the county. In Cork, 18 per cent of movers left the county, which was the lowest rate for people moving to another county.

Rented Property

The majority of households that moved in the year to 2022 moved into a rented property (61 per cent). Some 26,443, or 23 per cent moved to a new home owned with a mortgage or loan.

Just over one in three households which moved in the year prior to Census 2022 moved to a flat or apartment. Nearly 70 per cent of households moving into a home owned with a mortgage or loan moved into a detached or semi-detached house.

More than half (52 per cent) of those who moved to a property owned without a mortgage or loan moved to a detached house.

Meanwhile, in April 2022, Louth, Ireland’s smallest county in size, had the two largest towns in the State, with Drogheda at 44,135 people and Dundalk with 43,112 people.

Where are the five towns with the highest populations?

The five towns with the highest populations nationally were in Leinster, with Swords (40,776), Navan (33,886), and Bray (33,512) completing the list.

Among the towns with a population of 1,500 to 10,000 people, Saggart in Dublin was the youngest, with an average age of 30.4 years, while Ballyshannon in Donegal and Dingle-Daingean Uí Chúis in Kerry were the oldest, with an average age of 44.4 years.

Of the towns with a population of 10,000 or more, Balbriggan in Dublin was the youngest, with an average age of 33.6 years and Clonmel in Tipperary was the oldest, with an average age of 40.8 years.

It is the first time in 171 years that the State’s population exceeded the five million threshold. However, some of the counties that were the largest in 1851 have not surpassed that population figure in the 2022 census.

Cork’s population was 10 per cent lower in April 2022, Galway had 14 per cent fewer residents than in 1851, Tipperary’s population was 49 per cent lower and Mayo had 50 per cent fewer inhabitants than 171 years previously.