Irish Immigration figures break records

The number of immigrants who came to Ireland in the 12 months to April 2006 is estimated to have been 86,900, the highest figure recorded since annual migration estimates began in 1987.

Releasing the figures Sept. 12, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said the estimated number of emigrants in the same period was 17,000, which gave a net migration figure of 69,900 compared with 53,400 in the 12 months to April 2005.

The natural increase in the population (births minus deaths) for the year ending April 2006 was 34,200.

The combined effect of the natural increase and migration resulted in a population increase of 104,100 (+2.5%), bringing the population estimate to 4.235 million in April 2006.

This figure is coincidentally identical to the preliminary population total from the 2006 census, though there are some small differences when gender and regional breakdowns are taken into account.