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Number of Irish in Britain drops 20% since 2011

Irish is the fifth most common non-UK passport in the country (file image)
Irish is the fifth most common non-UK passport in the country (file image)

The number of Irish people in Britain has dropped by 20% - the biggest drop of any nationality - according to the latest official statistics.

There were 324,670 Irish-born people living in England and Wales last year, which is a reduction of more than 80,000 from 407,357 in 2011.

The report from the UK's Office for National Statistics notes that this is a long-term trend for the Irish population.

The number of Irish-born people in Britain peaked in 1961 when it was 683,000 - more than twice the present number.

The Irish used to be the biggest group of those born outside the UK, but they are now fifth behind India, Poland, Pakistan and Romania.

The number of Romanians in Britain has increased by 576% since the last census.

Despite the publicity given to people seeking Irish passports since Brexit, the actual number of holders in Britain has declined over the ten years from 372,389 to 364,726.

Irish is the fifth most common non-UK passport.

They are behind Italian passport holders which total 368,738 - an increase of well over 100% since 2011.

Official Irish statistics estimate the number of British citizens living in the Republic at 118,200, which make a greater number proportionally than the Irish in Britain.