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What do the statistics tell us about migration?
Contents
1. Immigration and asylum in Northern Ireland
2. Immigration and asylum in the Republic of Ireland
3. Northern Ireland Census
4. Census of Ireland
Every number is ultimately about a group of people, each of whom is created with dignity in the image of God. Opportunities to listen to and learn from the experiences of people who are new to an area and people whose families have lived there for many generations can open up more ways of understanding the person who has moved into a new country and their neighbours.
This page has been published alongside the main migration and ethnic diversity hub page provided here on the Church of Ireland website.
… in Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) publishes annual Mid–Year Population Estimates for the region, which include an estimate of immigration and emigration flows between the rest of the UK and other locations.
For the UK as a whole, the Home Office’s Immigration Statistics outline how many people in each quarter:
– come to the UK as passengers
– arrive as visitors or to stay for a longer–term purpose
– receive visas for work, study or family reasons
– come to the UK through safe and legal routes (explained below)
– are known to have arrived in the UK without official documents
– claim asylum (whether living in the UK or on arrival)
– are granted asylum, settlement or citizenship status
– are detained for immigration reasons or returned from the UK
Safe and legal routes include refugee resettlement programmes and specific schemes to allow people to come to and remain in the UK – mainly from Ukraine, Hong Kong and Afghanistan at present. These routes also include family reunion visas which allow refugees living in the UK to be joined by members of their family who are living elsewhere. A summary is provided in a House of Commons Library’s research briefing, Safe and legal humanitarian routes to the UK, published in 2024.
The Law Centre Northern Ireland publishes the Northern Ireland Asylum Statistics twice a year. This update is based on the latest Home Office information and covers the following topics:
– how many people receive asylum support
– the types of asylum accommodation
– financial support given to people seeking asylum
– council areas in which asylum accommodation is located
– main nationalities and countries of origin
An asylum seeker in Northern Ireland will generally receive £49.18 in asylum support each week – £7.02 per day – with extra payments provided to pregnant women and mothers of young children.
… in the Republic of Ireland
The Central Statistics Office publishes its Population and Migration Estimates in April of each year. The estimates indicate how the population has changed through:
– immigration into and emigration from the State
– births and deaths over the previous year
– general trends in immigration and emigration
– population changes by region within the State
Visa applications and decisions by year and nationality are published annually by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
The monthly International Protection Office monthly statistics outline the number of applications for international protection received and the five main nationalities for applicants.
The International Protection Accommodation Services agency publishes weekly statistics on the number of people arriving into accommodation; how many of these people are single males, single females, couples, children, and lone parents; and overall numbers on the total number of people accommodated, their nationalities, and locations of accommodation by city and county.
The weekly rate of the daily expenses allowance given to asylum seekers is generally €38.80 for each adult – €5.54 per day – and €29.80 for each child – €4.26 per day. The payment is reduced for people who have incomes of between €61 and €124 per week, and is not paid where a person’s income is above €125 per week.
Census trends in ethnic diversity
The two most recent censuses on the island of Ireland were conducted in 2021 in Northern Ireland and in 2022 in the Republic.
The Northern Ireland Census found that 1,837,600 people (96.6% of the population) were from a white ethnic background and 65,600 people (3.4% of the population) came from a minority ethnic group. This represented an increase from 1.8% in the 2011 Census and 0.8% in the 2001 Census.
Within this latter classification, the largest groups were people with mixed ethnicities or who identified as Black, Indian, Chinese, and Filipino. This is outlined in the Main statistics for Northern Ireland statistical bulletin on ethnic group.
The 2022 Census of Ireland’s Summary Results for Migration and Diversity found that 3,893,000 people (77%) identified as White Irish while 502,000 people were from non–Irish White backgrounds (9.8%) other than Irish Traveller or Roma – the latter groups comprised 49,000 people (1.0%).
A total of 328,000 people (6.4%) were from minority ethnic backgrounds – mainly identifying as South Asian, East Asian and Black. A further 313,000 people (6.2%) did not state their ethnicity.
In the previous Census in 2016, the White Irish group represented 82.2% of usual residents, 0.7% Irish Traveller, 9.5% from other White backgrounds, 7.6% from other ethnic backgrounds, and 2.6% not stating their ethnicity.
The 2011 Census of Ireland found that 84.5% of the population was White Irish, 0.7% were from the Irish Traveller community, 9.1% from other White backgrounds, 4.2% from other ethnic backgrounds, and 1.6% not stating an ethnicity.
Research by Church of Ireland Press Office for Primate’s Reference Group on Ethnic Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Justice