The number of Ireland-born residents in Australia has passed 100,000, according to official figures.
The data, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), shows that 103,080 people born in Ireland were living in Australia as of last June, up from 94,540 the previous year, an increase of more than 8,500.
The figure has almost doubled in the last 20 years.
It has risen by 87% since 2004 when 55,020 people born in Ireland were living there.
It increased sharply following the 2007 economic crash, peaking at 96,360 in 2013.
The figure fell to 85,660 in 2022 and rose by almost 9,000 in 2023.
There was a much smaller increase in the number of Northern-Ireland born residents during the same period.
Some 25,920 residents born In Northern Ireland were living in Australia in 2024, up 860 on the previous year.
The figure has risen by 14.9% in the last 20 years.
Ireland’s increase stands in sharp contrast to most other European Union countries.
The figure for Italy fell from just under 223,000 people in 2004 to 156,000 last year.
The country also dropped out of Australia’s top 10 countries of birth for the first time since 1901.
In 2024, 31.5% of Australia’s estimated resident population were born overseas, up from 30.7 per cent in 2023.
For 9 facts about Australia’s overseas-born population, see https://t.co/BmwgWDQZWf pic.twitter.com/f5aNrzd5Oc
— Australian Bureau of Statistics (@ABSStats) April 30, 2025
Overall, of the 27.2 million people resident in Australia, 8.6 million were born abroad.
England, India, China and New Zealand are the countries of birth with the largest populations.
The ABS said that almost every country in the world was represented in Australia’s overseas-born population last year.
