Census shows Cork has highest proportion of residents living in their county of birth
Live Also Picture: Suburbs Born Scannell That The Cork City In Showed People Cork 151,746 Denis Its In And Figures File
Almost three-quarters of people living in Cork were born in the county, the highest proportion anywhere in Ireland, according to the latest Census.
In its first in-depth profile from Census 2022, the Central Statistics Office has published details on population distribution and movements as recorded on Census night in April 2022.
While Cork had the highest proportion of residents born in the county at 72.5%, Meath was at the other end of the spectrum with just 32.4% of its population having been born in the county. However, just under half of Meath’s population was born elsewhere in the country.
The national average was just under 60% of residents in a county having been born in that county. A further 20% were born abroad, an increase from 17% in 2016. Dublin had the highest percentage (25%) of residents who were born outside the State, closely followed by the Monaghan (23%) and Donegal (22%).
Of the 4.1 million State-born residents, 74% lived in the county they were born in.
The CSO also provided details of people born in Cork and their migration to cities. Unsurprisingly, 151,746 born in Cork live in Cork city and its suburbs. A further 16,788 Cork-born people now live in Dublin city or its suburbs, with 2,282 in Limerick and 1,083 in Waterford.
At the other end of the spectrum, 5,461 Dubs now live in Cork city and its suburbs.
Elsewhere in the statistics, the Census 2022 found that there were 49 towns in Ireland with a population of over 10,000 people. Ireland’s largest town by population was Drogheda in Louth, with 44,135 residents recorded in 2022.
In towns with a population ranging between 1,500 to 10,000 people, Saggart in Dublin was the youngest with an average 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.
For larger towns of over 10,000 people, 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.
CSO statistician Dr Tracy Clegg said: “In the year leading to Census 2022, 265,098 people moved within the State, with 29% moving to a different county. The age at which residents were most likely to move to a new home was 26, with 15% of people at this age moving in the 12 months leading to the census.
“Among all households that moved in the year prior to Census 2022, 61% moved into rented accommodation, 23% to a property owned with a mortgage or loan, and 11% to a home owned outright.”
Meanwhile, households moving to a rental property were more likely to be moving to a flat or apartment (49%). Nearly 70% of households moving into a home owned with a mortgage or loan moved into a detached or semi-detached house.
It was flagged at the publication of the headline findings of the Census that 2022 marked the first time in 171 years that the population of the State exceeded the five million threshold.
However, between 1851 and 2022, just five counties saw an increase in their population—Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Meath and Louth.