Census shows almost three quarters of those born here still live in county of their birth

The latest Census figures show Drogheda, Co Louth was the town with the largest population in the State, with 44,135 people recorded there on the night the survey was carried out.

It is followed by Dundalk, with Swords, Co Dublin third on the list.

Data from the Census of population shows a total of 49 towns around the country now have a population in excess of 10,000.

Ennis, Co Clare with a population of 27,923 is the largest town in Munster.

Letterkenny, Co Donegal takes the title among the three Ulster counties in the Republic, and Sligo is the largest town in Connacht, with over 20,000 residents.

Today’s figures provide a range of fascinating information in relation to population distribution and movement around the country.

Of the almost 5.1 million people who were here on the night of 3 April 2022, one in five were born outside the State.

Almost three quarters of those born here still reside in the county of their birth.

The figure is highest for Cork, where 72% of all residents have spent their lives inside the county boundary.

In contrast, just 32% of Meath residents were born in the Royal County.

People under-15 or over-65 are most likely to live in the county of their birth, while Dublin has the highest percentage of residents (25%) born in another county.

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For census purposes, a person's place of birth is recorded as the place where their mother lived at the time of their birth.

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

In the 12 months prior to the census, over a quarter of a million people moved address, 29% of them to a different county.

Today's release also looks at population shifts in the 171 years since the 1851 Census, taken in the aftermath of the Famine.

Those comparisons show Mayo has 50% fewer inhabitants now, than it had back then, with Tipperary’s population 49% lower than in the mid 19th Century.

The latest census information is the first in a series of thematic profiles which drill down into the data provided by citizens on the night of the survey.

The Central Statistics Office says this should assist local authorities, State bodies and other agencies to inform, as well as future proof development and expansion plans.