Around 3% of population within 10km of border

There were 128,106 people in Ireland who lived a short driving distance, (less than 10km), from an official border crossing-point into Northern Ireland, representing 2.7% of the total population.

About 2,300 people lived less than 500 metres from a border crossing, while 14,205 lived within 2km, equivalent to a half-hour walking distance.

The largest number of people within 10km of a border crossing to Northern Ireland was in Louth (41,972), followed by Monaghan (39,485) and Donegal (34,160).

However, Monaghan had the highest proportion of people living less than 10km from a border crossing at 64%, followed by 33% in Louth and 22% in Donegal, while the smallest proportion was in Leitrim at 6%, (see Table 1.1, Figure 1.1 and Figure 1.2).

The number of people who lived within 10km of a border crossing increased in three counties between 2011 and 2016 - Louth (+1,612), Monaghan (+486) and Cavan (+387), while there were population losses in Donegal (-995) and Leitrim(-166), (See Table 1.2 and Figure 1.3).

Characteristics of population living within 10km of the border

People living within 10km of an official border crossing into Northern Ireland were less likely to be aged between 19 and 54 and more likely to be aged over 55 when compared to data for the State, (see Table 1.3 and Figure 1.4)

There were 59,742 people in the labour force living within 10km of an official crossing point on the border in 2016, an increase of 0.7% compared to 2011. Over this same time period, the labour force in Ireland grew by 3.2%. The unemployment rate for people living 10km or less from the border was 17.5% according to the 2016 Census, compared to a rate of 12.9% for the State, (see Table 1.4 and Figure 1.5).

Wholesale and retail trade was the main sector for employment for people living within 10km of the border, with 7,437 people at work, followed by Manufacturing at 5,214, (See Table 1.5)

There were 7,037 people living in Ireland in 2016 who commuted into Northern Ireland for work, and over half of these (3,638) lived within 10km of a border crossing. Of the 5,357 people at work who lived within 2km of the border, one in five (1,116) travelled to Northern Ireland to their place of work, (see Table 1.6).

Higher vacancy rates close to the border

There were 56,551 dwellings within 10km of a border crossing to Northern Ireland in 2016, of which 46,276 (81.8%) were occupied by usual residents. The number of vacant dwellings was 6,957 which gives a vacancy rate of 12.7% (excluding holiday homes).

Closer to the border there was a higher vacancy rate, with 15.7% of dwellings vacant within 2km of a border crossing. In contrast, the vacancy rate across the State in 2016 was 9.4%.

The overall number of dwellings within 10km of the border was largely unchanged between 2011 and 2016 but the number of vacant units dropped by 17%, from 8,359 to 6,957, (see Table 1.7 and Figure 1.6).

Close to 30% of homes within 10km of Northern Ireland were built since 2001. For dwellings which were less than 2km of the border, 32.4% were built since 2001 compared to 27.4% nationally, while 32.1% were built between 1971 and 2000 compared to 36.8% nationally.

About 70% of households within 10km of a border crossing owned their home in 2016, slightly above the national average of 68%. This proportion rose to 75% for households living less than 2km from a border crossing, (see Table 1.9).

Border towns

The closest town or village to Northern Ireland is Pettigo in Donegal where the average distance to the border from each dwelling is 423 metres, followed by Kildrum, Donegal (526 metres), Blacklion, Cavan (540 metres) and Muff, Donegal (934 metres).

Overall, there were 43 settlements within 10km of a border crossing to Northern Ireland. The largest was Dundalk, with a population of 39,004, which was 8.4 km from the border. The next largest border town was Monaghan town, with 7,678 people, and 8.8 km from the border, (see  Figure 1.8).