The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (29 June 2023) released Census 2022 Profile 1 – Population Distribution and Movements which looks at the population changes nationally and in each county since Census 2016. Some of the topics covered include the population distribution in each county, the place of birth of residents of the State and each county (ie whether they were born within the county, elsewhere in Ireland or outside of Ireland) and population movements into, within, and out of each county. The CSO is also releasing Census 2022 information at Electoral Division (ED) level, providing more local detail on how the population is distributed across the country. This press release highlights some of the main changes for Limerick. A full list of county press releases is available.
| Kathleen Goulding | (+353) 1 895 1413 |
|---|---|
| Tony Downes | (+353) 1 895 1319 |
| censuspublicity@cso.ie | |
| pressoffice@cso.ie |
-- ENDS --
Statistician's Comment
Commenting on the results, Dr Tracy Clegg, Statistician in the Census Division, said: “Profile 1, which we are publishing today, provides a wealth of information on population changes in our counties, towns and cities since April 2016. It provides detailed data on the distribution of the population across our towns and cities and their age profiles, the place of birth of the usual residents of each county, and details of population movements into, within, and out of each county since 2016.
Looking at Limerick, we can see that Newcastle West was the largest town, with a population of 7,209 in April 2022.”
Results for Limerick
Age Profile of Towns
Of those towns with a population of at least 500 people in April 2022, Moroe was the youngest, with an average age of 32.5 years. The oldest was Foynes, with an average age of 44.5 years. Nationally, the average age was 38.8 years.
Place of Birth
In April 2022, 69% of Limerick’s usual residents (143,138 people) were born in the county. A further 14% (29,099) were born elsewhere in the State. The remaining 17% (34,381) were born outside the State, which was up from 14% in 2016. Nationally, 20% of the usually resident population in April 2022 was born outside of the State.
On the move
Of the people who were resident in Limerick, 10,368 had moved in the year prior to Census 2022. Most of these (6,591 or 64%) moved elsewhere within the county. Nationally, 265,098 usual residents moved in the year to April 2022. Of these, 71% moved to a new home in the same county.
In Limerick, 20% of households that moved owned their new home with a loan or mortgage while 10% owned it without a loan or mortgage. Nationally 23% of households that moved owned their new home with a loan or mortgage while 11% owned their new home without a loan or mortgage.
Households that moved in Limerick were slightly more likely to move to a detached house (25%) than movers nationally (23%). Almost one in three Limerick household movers (30%) moved to a flat or apartment, compared to 34% who did so nationally.