Irish Migration in the 1990s- an Overview in Charts
List of charts
Background to 1990s. The traditional pattern of emigration.
Ireland (26 counties) - Crude Birth Rate 1871-1995
Irish birth rates remained high for a remarkably long period, compared to other countries. However the apparent consistency masks an underlying phenomenon which was more unusual - high fertility rates within marriage combined with very low marriage rates. Fertility rates begin to fall significantly in the 1980s. Before that time the economic boom of the 1960s led to an increase in marriages which, combined with continuing high fertility rates, contributed largely to the migration crisis of the 1980s.
Ireland (26 counties) Population 1821-1996
The population fell constantly until 1961.
Annual Net Out-Migration 1926-1989
The 1950s and late 1980s saw significant outflows. In-migration (of returning Irish workers and their families) did take place in the 1970s because of specific skills shortages in the Irish economy after the country joined the EU.
Total Fertility Rates - Ireland and selected EU member states 1960-1991
Irish fertility rates remain higher than other EU countries but there has been a significant fall since the mid-1980s. This makes a return to very high emigration rates relatively unlikely in the medium term.
The Celtic Tiger - high growth rates and high employment creation in the 1990s. Increased participation by women in the paid labour force.
Irish GDP growth 1995-99
Ireland has the fastest-growing economy in the OECD.
Irish Employment Growth 1991-2005
The Irish economy has generated jobs at an unprecedented rate since the mid-1990s and is expected to continue doing so for several more years at least. Significant labour shortages are now emerging in a situation of near-full employment.
OECD - Female Participation in the Paid Labour Force 1988-97
Traditionally the percentage of Irish women in the paid labour force was lower than other countries as large numbers of mothers stayed at home to raise their children. Moreover, state childcare is almost non-existent.
Ireland (26 counties) Female Participation in the Paid Labour Force 1997
The picture has changed in recent years and the number of married women under 44 in the paid labour force has increased dramatically to a figure not far off the OECD average.
From Net Emigration to Net Immigration in the 1990s
Ireland (26 counties): In-Migration and Out-Migration, 1988-1999
This overview shows the dramatic turnaround from high emigration in the late 1980s to high immigration today. Note that emigration continues at relatively high rates even now, even though it is outweighed by immigration; there are likely to be a variety of types of emigration underlying this.
Ireland (26 counties) Net Immigration, 1994-1999
1996 marks a turning point with increasing numbers of immigrants outnumbering emigrants from then on.
Ireland (26 counties) Immigration by Region of Origin, 1994
More than half of immigrants are in fact returning Irish emigrants. However, significants numbers of immigrants with no previous connection to Ireland are now coming here to live and work.
Ireland (26 counties) Immigration by Region of Origin 1994-1999
Immigrants are coming from a variety of regions. As statistics are based on samples (currently, the National Quartely Household Survey) a more detailed breakdown is not possible in inter-censal periods.
Ireland (26 counties) In-Migration and Out-Migration compared, 1994-1999
Ireland now receives substantially more migrants from every region than it sends. The gap in the case of the UK is particularly worthy of note even though a significant proportion of the number is composed of returning Irish migrants.
Asylum seekers and refugees - a small proportion of overall inflow
UNHCR entry on Ireland
Summary of legal and statistical data.
News on Ireland from UNHCR
Refugee NewsNet provides an invaluable digest on asylum and refugee-related issues in Ireland and other places.
Asylum Applications in Ireland, 1992-1999
There has been a steady increase in applications, reflecting a global increase.
Ireland (26 counties) Immigration and Asylum compared, 1993-1998
There has been a rise in asylum seekers but their overall number remains modest.
EU Ratio of Asylum Seekers to Population
Ireland is in the middle of the EU ranges if asylum seekers are compared to national population. It should be noted that this chart needs to be treated with care. An apparent very low rate of asylum seeking in mediterranean countries and Portugal can be largely explained by inadequate statistics and the very significant numbers of undocumented migrants in some of these countries.
EU Share of Asylum seekers per country compared to Population, expressed in percentages
This chart again shows that Ireland is in the middle of the range. It also shows that some countries (NL, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, UK) have a proportionately higher number of asylum applicants than their population might suggest, while others (notably France, Finland) have lower figures.
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