Population and Settlement: Migration and Diversity

The current population of Ireland rests around 4.7 million people. After a huge economic boom in the 1990's, the net emigration of Ireland increased to the point that the government created new laws and criteria for welcoming immigrants. There were three major policy areas that influenced the influx of immigrants and the current population of the country. First, the country created a list of acceptable home countries, and then prioritized these immigrants. Next, between 2003 and 2005, the country eliminated the law that an Irish-born child automatically becomes a citizen, even if his or her parents are foreign-born. The third policy change involved meeting the needs of the lower-skilled workers who immigrated to the country. 

The biggest influence on the increased population of the country stemmed from an agreement that Ireland made that accepted immigrants from other countries in the European Union immediately to start work that corresponded with each immigrant's skill level.

The population spikes after the 1990's.

Currently, Ireland has stricter policies in regard to immigration, favoring highly skilled workers who are not necessarily from countries within the European Union. Because of the current economic recession the country faces, there has been a decline in immigration, though the rate remains a relatively large number, and a lack of jobs for legal foreign citizens and Irish nationals alike.

Among the current 4.7 million residents in the country lies some diversity. The country's demographics consist of an Irish majority (roughly 87% of the population). The remaining 13% includes Asian at 1%, Black at 1%, other White at 8%, and mixed or unspecified at about 3%. This distribution of race is primarily the result of Ireland's policy changes, as discussed earlier, in deciding who to accept into the country and the preference of admitting immigrants from the Euorpean Union. 

Most of the population rests between the ages of 15 and 64 years old, with the median age being about 35. The population continues to grow at a rate of 1.112% per year, as of 2011, with a birth rate of about 15.81 per 1,000 population and a death rate of 6.38 per 1,000 population. The life expectancy is about 80 years old for men and women and the country's obesity rate rests at 13%, less than half of the United States' (35%).





Sources:

CSO.  (n.d.).  Republic of Ireland Population 1926-2011.  Retrieved from http://www.epa.ie/irelandsenvironment/environmentalindicatorsdashboard/population/

Index Mundi.  (2012).  Ireland Demographics Profile 2012.  Retrieved from http://www.indexmundi.com/ireland/demographics_profile.html

Migration Information Source.  (2013).  Ireland:  From Rapid Immigration to Recession.  Retrieved from http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?ID=740