The population of Ireland reached 5 million for the first time in 170 years.
The Central Statistics Office revealed the population is now believed to be 5.1 million, up from roughly 4.97 million one year ago, according to the Irish Post — marking the largest population since the 1851 census.
The report said the increase is due to more babies being born domestically, as well as a net migration increase. Roughly 65,200 migrants moved to Ireland, while only 54,000 people moved out. Despite a net positive migration, the migration numbers from the past 12 months are down 24% from last year.
The population has not risen to such a level since the Potato Famine from 1845-1852, also called the Great Hunger, which led to the death of 1 million people and the emigration of another million.
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“It should be noted that this release covers the 12 months to April 2021,” statistician James Hegarty said in a statement. “Therefore, the results contained in this release reflect some of the demographic and social impacts of COVID-19.”
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Roughly 5,000 Irish have died from COVID-19 since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Ireland Department of Health.
