Every number on this page comes from official Irish government statistics — the CSO, the Department of Justice, the Department of Integration, IPAT, and Parliamentary Questions. We don't estimate, spin, or editorialize the data. For dataset-by-dataset source notes and caveats, see the new Migration Data Reports.

Asylum & International Protection

Metric Figure Source
International Protection applicants (2024) 141,600+ Department of Justice
Applications awaiting first decision 14,000+ IPAT Annual Report
Average processing time ~24 months Department of Justice
Recognition rate (refugee status + subsidiary protection) ~38% IPAT
Applicants in direct provision accommodation ~28,000 Dept. of Integration
Emergency accommodation centres in use 300+ Dept. of Integration

Deportation & Enforcement

Metric Figure Source
Deportation orders issued (cumulative, in force) ~9,000 Parliamentary Questions
Deportation orders enforced ~3% Parliamentary Questions
Voluntary returns (2024) ~1,200 IOM Ireland
Return agreements with countries of origin Limited Dept. of Justice

Population & Demographics

Metric Figure Source
Total population (2022 Census) 5,149,139 CSO Census 2022
Population growth (2016-2022) +7.6% CSO Census 2022
Non-Irish nationals as % of population ~15% CSO Census 2022
Born outside Ireland as % of population ~20% CSO Census 2022
Net migration (2023 est.) +77,600 CSO Population Estimates

Housing & Public Services Impact

Metric Figure Source
Social housing waiting list 300,000+ Housing Agency
Homeless individuals (official count) ~14,000 Dept. of Housing
Average house price nationally €340,000+ CSO Residential Property Price Index
Hospital waiting lists 900,000+ NTPF
Est. annual cost of direct provision system €2.5B+ Dept. of Integration

How Ireland Compares

Country Asylum Applications per 1,000 Pop. Deportation Enforcement Offshore Processing
Ireland ~3.4 ~3% No
Denmark ~0.3 ~60% Yes (Rwanda plan)
Austria ~2.1 ~40% No (dedicated ministry)
UK ~1.2 ~25% Yes (Rwanda, paused)
Italy ~2.3 ~35% Yes (Albania centres)

Applications Trend: 2019–2025

Ireland’s international protection application numbers rose from under 4,000 in 2019 to a peak of approximately 17,000 in 2023, before declining. The surge coincides with the post-Covid reopening and the war in Ukraine.

2019
~3,500
2020
~1,700
2021
~2,600
2022
~13,700
2023
~17,000 ▲ peak
2024
See the linked official source table for the current 2024 figure.