This publication is part of a series of results from Census 2022. More thematic publications will be published throughout 2023 as outlined in the Census 2022 Publication Schedule.
Information on internal migration (movements within the country) comes from a question on usual residence one year prior to the census and applies to people aged one year and over only. People who were living elsewhere in Ireland or Northern Ireland were asked to write in the county while those who were living abroad one year before the census were asked to name the country of previous residence.
In the year prior to the census, 265,098 people moved home within the State.
This was an increase of 0.6% (1,547 people) compared with 2016.
However, this equates to a slightly lower percentage of usual residents (5%) moving to a new property in the year before Census 2022 compared with 2016 (6%) and 2011 (6%).
In 2022, 29% of movers (76,683) were living in a different county prior to their move. This was a rise of 13% compared with 2016.
The number of people moving within the same county fell by 7,295 people (4%).
| Table 3.1 Population aged one year and over usually resident and present in the State who moved within the State in the year prior to the census, 2022 | ||||||
| 2011 | 2016 | 2022 | 2011 (%) | 2016 (%) | 2022 (%) | |
| All people who moved within the State | 273,239 | 263,551 | 265,098 | 6.1 | 5.7 | 5.3 |
| People who moved to a different county | 63,622 | 67,841 | 76,683 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| People who moved within the same county | 209,617 | 195,710 | 188,415 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 3.7 |
| Usual residents - total | 4,453,276 | 4,628,081 | 5,027,603 | - | - | - |
Dublin city and suburbs was the area with the highest proportion of movers (30%) within or to the area. The smallest towns or villages (less than 1,500 in size) and the rest of the country accounted for 26% of the movers. A further 20% of movers moved to or within a large town (population of 10,000 or over).
| Movers to or within the area | Population present on Census Night | |
| Dublin city and suburbs | 29.9 | 24.5 |
| Cork city and suburbs | 5.3 | 4.3 |
| Limerick city and suburbs | 2.4 | 2 |
| Waterford city and suburbs | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Galway city and suburbs | 3.1 | 1.7 |
| Towns 10,000 and over | 19.9 | 18.2 |
| Towns 5,000 - 9,999 | 5.9 | 5.6 |
| Towns 1,500 to 4,999 | 6.5 | 6.2 |
| Rest of the country | 25.7 | 36.3 |
| Table 3.2 Population aged one year and over usually resident and present in the State who moved within the State in the year prior to the census by area type, 2022 | ||
| Towns by size | Movers as a percentage of the total population aged one year and over and present in the area on Census Night (%) | Movers to or within the area as a percentage of all people who moved (%) |
| Dublin city and suburbs | 24.5 | 29.9 |
| Cork city and suburbs | 4.3 | 5.3 |
| Limerick city and suburbs | 2.0 | 2.4 |
| Waterford city and suburbs | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Galway city and suburbs | 1.7 | 3.1 |
| Towns 10,000 and over | 18.2 | 19.9 |
| Towns 5,000 - 9,999 | 5.6 | 5.9 |
| Towns 1,500 to 4,999 | 6.2 | 6.5 |
| Rest of the country | 36.3 | 25.7 |
The age at which residents were most likely to move to a new home was 26, with 15% of people at this age moving in the year leading up to Census 2022. However, the average age of all movers was 31.7.
The proportion of residents who moved gradually decreased after the age of 26, with less than 2% of 65 year olds moving home in the year prior to the census.
The pattern of movers who left their county in the year prior to Census 2022 was similar to 2016. Roscommon and Leitrim were the two counties with the highest proportion of people who chose to relocate to a different county, while Dublin and Cork residents were the least likely to move out of their county. Compared with 2016, Cavan and Monaghan showed a noticeable increase in the proportion of residents who crossed the county border to set up a new home, from 31% to 38% and from 25% to 33%, respectively.
People who were resident in Roscommon in the year prior to the census and moved were the most likely to move to a different county (46%).
In contrast, only 18% of the Cork residents who moved left their county.
Dublin had the highest number of people who, in the year prior to the census, moved either within or out of the county (93,473).
Of these, 21,954 (23%) moved out of county Dublin.
In the year prior to Census 2022, of the 21,954 movers who left Dublin, most went to the neighbouring counties.
Over 4,000 Dublin based people went to Kildare, with a further 3,285 relocating to Meath.
The proportion of those who relocated to Kildare in the year prior to the 2022 census (19%) was higher than in 2016 and 2011 when it stood at 16%.
The most common non-Leinster destination was Cork where 7% relocated in the year leading to Census 2022.
The least common destinations were Leitrim and Monaghan; less than 1% of Dublin based people relocated to these two counties.
The average age of people who moved out of Dublin in the year prior to Census 2022 was 32.5. This was slightly older compared with the average age in 2016 (30.9) and 2011 (30.6).
In 2022, the peak age at which Dublin based people moved out of the county was between 30 and 34 years.
This age group accounted for 20% of all residents who left Dublin in the year prior to Census 2022.
In 2011, the peak age for leaving Dublin was younger, 25 to 29 years.
Data on household moves are based on the responses given by the household reference person. The full definition can be found in the Background Notes. The term 'head of household' is used in the following sections to denote the reference person.
Compared with 2016, there was a 2% increase in the number of households who moved in the year prior to Census 2022.
Of the 112,548 households that moved in the year leading to the 2022 census, 61% moved into a rented property.
When looking at the number of households moving into rented accommodation, there was a fall of 8% between 2016 and 2022.
In 2022, 26,443 households moved into a new home that was owned with a mortgage or loan, an increase of 36% compared with 2016.
When examined at county level, households moving to or within Dublin, Galway and Limerick mostly rented their new accommodation, while moving to a property owned without a mortgage or loan was more prevalent in Roscommon, Leitrim and Wexford.
Meath had the highest proportion of households that moved to or within the county into a home owned with a mortgage or loan (43%).
At 69%, Dublin recorded the highest proportion of households moving to or within the county into a rented property.
Roscommon was the county where most households moved into a new home owned outright, without a mortgage or loan (24%).
The highest proportion of households (6%) moving into a rent-free property was recorded in counties Donegal and Leitrim.
Among all households headed by a person aged under 65, 62% moved into rented accommodation, 24% to a property owned with a mortgage or loan and 9% to a home owned without a mortgage or loan.
The average age of the head of a household (reference person) that moved was 37.7.
This was lower for households moving to a rented property (34.8), increasing to 38.4 for properties purchased with a mortgage or loan and to 52.0 for those moving into homes owned outright.
Of the youngest households (headed by a person aged under 30), 80% moved to rented accommodation.
Of those headed by a person aged 30 to 49 years, 55% of the households moved to a rental property and 33% to a home owned with a mortgage or loan.
Households headed by a person aged 50 to 64 were most likely to move to a rented property (46%) or to a home owned outright (31%).
When looking at the property type households moved to in the year prior to Census 2022, detached houses were most prevalent among those moving to a home owned outright, while households that moved to a rented property predominantly moved to flats or apartments.
Over a third of all households that moved in the year leading to the census relocated to a flat or an apartment (34%).
The next most popular housing choice was either a detached (23%) or semi-detached house (22%). A further 21% of households moved into a terraced house.
A flat or apartment was the most prevalent among the households that moved to a rented property (49%).
Approximately 70% of households moving into a home owned with a mortgage or loan moved into a detached or semi-detached house.
More than half (52%) of the households moving into a property owned without a mortgage or loan moved into a detached house.
Younger households who moved in the year prior to Census 2022 were most likely to set up home in a flat or an apartment. Semi-detached houses were most common among households that moved and were headed by a person aged 30 to 34. The proportion of households moving to a detached house increased with age, those headed by a person aged 65 years and over being the most likely to move into this type of accommodation (40%).
The average age of a head of household that moved into a flat or apartment was 33.9.
This increased to 37.4 for households moving into a terraced house, to 38.6 for semi-detached and to 42.7 for detached houses.
Among households headed by a person aged under 25 who moved, the majority moved into a flat or apartment (54%).
This proportion decreased to 22% where the household head was aged 40 to 44.
Households headed by a person aged over 40 were more likely to move into a detached house: 31% for the age group 40 to 44 and increasing to 36% among those aged 60 to 64 years.
| Age group | Detached house | Semi-detached house | Terraced house | Flat or apartment (including bed sits) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 25 years | 9.1 | 16.9 | 19.9 | 54.1 |
| 25 - 29 years | 12.9 | 18.9 | 21.1 | 47 |
| 30 - 34 years | 19.3 | 23.3 | 21.1 | 36.3 |
| 35 - 39 years | 26.6 | 25.9 | 21 | 26.6 |
| 40 - 44 years | 30.8 | 26.7 | 20.7 | 21.8 |
| 45 - 49 years | 32.3 | 26.1 | 19.9 | 21.7 |
| 50 - 54 years | 33.7 | 23.6 | 20.2 | 22.4 |
| 55 - 59 years | 36.8 | 21 | 18.5 | 23.7 |
| 60 - 64 years | 36.5 | 22.3 | 19.3 | 21.9 |
| 65 years and over | 40.1 | 21.5 | 19.3 | 19.1 |
At State level, apartments and flats were the most common dwelling type to move into among households that moved in the year leading to Census 2022. However, with the exception of Dublin, Cork and Limerick, other property types were more common in all other counties.
The majority of the households that moved either to or within Dublin moved into a flat or apartment (55%).
More than half of the households moving either to or within Roscommon (53%) and moving either to or within Leitrim (52%) moved into a detached house.
Kildare had the highest proportion of households that moved to a semi-detached house (39%).
At 28%, Louth was the county with the highest proportion of households moving into a terraced house.
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