A question on usual residence one year ago provides data on internal migration in the year leading up to the census and shows that 263,551 usual residents (or 5.7 per cent of all usual residents aged one year or over) moved in the year to April 2016, compared with 273,239 movers in 2011, a fall of 3.5 per cent.
Figure 3.1 presents the distribution of these movers by area type of their place of residence, alongside the distribution of the general population.
The results show that while just under 25 per cent (24.6 per cent) of the population lived in Dublin City and suburbs in April 2016, it accounted for 30.2 per cent of the movers within the previous year. Large towns (10,000+) also accounted for proportionally more movers, with 18.5 per cent of movers living in this urban type compared with only 16.4 per cent of the general population.
The main census results showed that the urban population grew by 4.9 per cent while the rural population grew by a far more modest 2 per cent. Even though 37.3 per cent of the total population live in rural areas, only a quarter of movers (25.7 per cent) resided in rural areas.
| Rural | Towns 1,500 to 4,999 | Towns 5,000 to 9,999 | Towns 10,000 or over | Waterford city and suburbs | Galway city and suburbs | Limerick city and suburbs | Cork city and suburbs | Dublin city and suburbs | |
| Population | 37.3 | 6.4 | 6.2 | 16.4 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 2 | 4.4 | 24.6 |
| Movers | 25.7 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 18.5 | 1.2 | 3 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 30.2 |
Interactive table E2041 presents the 263,551 people who moved in the year to April 2016 by county of origin and county of destination. The largest number of these were from Dublin, with 94,182 movers. Of these, 18,716 people over the age of one moved out of County Dublin in the year leading up to Census 2016.
Kildare was their most common destination with 2,974 movers, followed by neighbouring counties Meath and Wicklow (2,602 and 2,201 respectively). The most common non-Leinster destination for movers from Dublin was Cork, where 8 per cent relocated. The least common destination was Leitrim, where only 134 people moved
Interactive Table: StatBank Link E2029
People living in Leitrim who moved in the year leading up to the census were the most likely to cross the county border to set up their new home. Over 44 per cent of Leitrim dwellers who moved left the Connacht county for pastures new.
Cork residents who moved were the least likely to relocate to another county with only 17 per cent of those who moved leaving the county. Almost as unlikely to leave the confines of their county were those who lived in Dublin. Just 20 per cent of Dublin-based movers relocated to another county.
Only 22 per cent of people living in Donegal who moved set up their new home elsewhere in the State.
Overall, 5.7 per cent of usual residents (1 year and older) had moved from a different address in Ireland in the previous year. Dublin was the county with the highest rate at 7.2 per cent and Donegal had the lowest at 3.6 per cent.
| Stayed in same County | Moved to different County | |
| Leitrim | 55.9 | 44.1 |
| Roscommon | 59.6 | 40.4 |
| Westmeath | 60.1 | 39.9 |
| Meath | 60.9 | 39.1 |
| Longford | 61.8 | 38.2 |
| Carlow | 62.3 | 37.7 |
| Kildare | 64 | 36 |
| Wicklow | 64.3 | 35.7 |
| Laois | 65.7 | 34.3 |
| Sligo | 66 | 34 |
| Limerick | 67.1 | 32.9 |
| Kilkenny | 68 | 32 |
| Offaly | 68.1 | 31.9 |
| Waterford | 68.5 | 31.5 |
| Tipperary | 68.8 | 31.2 |
| Cavan | 69.5 | 30.5 |
| Clare | 69.8 | 30.2 |
| Louth | 70.6 | 29.4 |
| Mayo | 71.6 | 28.4 |
| Galway | 73.1 | 26.9 |
| State | 74.3 | 25.7 |
| Monaghan | 74.9 | 25.1 |
| Kerry | 75.7 | 24.3 |
| Wexford | 77.9 | 22.1 |
| Donegal | 78.3 | 21.7 |
| Dublin | 80.1 | 19.9 |
| Cork | 83.1 | 16.9 |
It's a Fact
Figure 3.3 presents data on the percentage of the population who moved, by age, in 2011 and 2016. The most mobile segment of the population was those between the ages of 20 and 34 accounting for 45.7 per cent of the total; 25 was the peak year for moving in 2011, and 28 in 2016.
The numbers dropped considerably for those aged 40 and over who made up only 21.6 per cent of movers.
Of all those who moved in 2016, 16.5 per cent were children between the ages of 1 and 14 while only 4.8 per cent of movers were in the secondary school age group of 15 to 19.
However, as also well illustrated, the percentage of people who moved address in the previous year was significantly down on 2011 with 14.8 per cent of 25 year olds moving in 2016 compared with 18 per cent in 2011. This is compensated for by proportionally more movers from age 30 onwards.
Interactive Table: StatBank Link E2051
| 2011 | 2016 | |
| 15 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| 16 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| 17 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
| 18 | 6.4 | 4.4 |
| 19 | 10.7 | 9.4 |
| 20 | 11.2 | 9.9 |
| 21 | 12.9 | 10.5 |
| 22 | 15.4 | 12.1 |
| 23 | 17.1 | 14.5 |
| 24 | 17.7 | 15.1 |
| 25 | 18 | 14.8 |
| 26 | 17.6 | 15.1 |
| 27 | 17.3 | 14.2 |
| 28 | 16.2 | 15.2 |
| 29 | 15.2 | 14.7 |
| 30 | 13.7 | 13.3 |
| 31 | 12.2 | 12.9 |
| 32 | 11 | 12.1 |
| 33 | 9.8 | 10.9 |
| 34 | 8.9 | 10 |
| 35 | 8.1 | 9.2 |
| 36 | 7.4 | 8.1 |
| 37 | 6.5 | 7.7 |
| 38 | 5.9 | 6.9 |
| 39 | 5.3 | 6.3 |
| 40 | 4.9 | 5.5 |
| 41 | 4.5 | 5.2 |
| 42 | 4 | 4.6 |
| 43 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
| 44 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
| 45 | 3.3 | 3.5 |
| 46 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
| 47 | 2.8 | 3.2 |
| 48 | 2.8 | 2.9 |
| 49 | 2.6 | 2.8 |
| 50 | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| 51 | 2.3 | 2.6 |
| 52 | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| 53 | 2.1 | 2.4 |
| 54 | 2 | 2.3 |
| 55 | 2 | 2.1 |
| 56 | 1.7 | 1.9 |
| 57 | 1.5 | 1.8 |
| 58 | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| 59 | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| 60 | 1.3 | 1.9 |
| 61 | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| 62 | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| 63 | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| 64 | 1.1 | 1.6 |
It's a Fact
Figure 3.4 below presents the number of households who moved in the year to April 2016 by nature of occupancy, categorised by those who owned their own home and those who rented, for both 2011 and 2016. The results show that the total number of households who moved in the year preceding the census fell from 114,617 in 2011 to 110,204 in 2016 representing a fall of 4 per cent.
| 2016 | 2011 | |
| Own with mortgage or loan | 17.6 | 12.8 |
| Own outright | 9.7 | 4.3 |
| Rent | 67.1 | 80 |
| Live here rent free | 2.6 | 1.8 |
| Not stated | 3.1 | 1.1 |
Interactive Table: StatBank Link E2044
In 2016, the number who rented their new home fell to 69.6 per cent compared to 81.8 per cent in 2011. This shift in occupancy status for those who moved occurred right across the country and the largest fall was in county Wicklow.
By contrast, there was an increase in the number of households who moved and owned their new home with a mortgage or loan. This figure rose from 14,707 in 2011 to 19,391 in 2016, accounting for 17.6 per cent of moving households.
Movers to homes in County Meath were most likely to purchase their new home with a mortgage or loan (28.3 per cent).
While 72.6 per cent of households in Dublin rented their new accommodation, the highest number of renters among the movers were in Sligo, 74.2 per cent, a surprising statistic.
It's a Fact
