Asylum and migration overview 2024: Ireland

The Asylum and Migration Overview 2024: Ireland provides a detailed overview of the key developments in migration and asylum in Ireland in 2024. It includes statistics, significant policy developments and debates, research and notable case law on a range of migration-related topics. It is the 21st report in the series and complements the European Migration Network’s (EMN) series of European annual monitoring reports, which give an overview of developments across EMN Member and Observer countries. These reports were previously called Annual Reports on Migration and Asylum. In 2024, their name changed to Asylum and Migration Overview. 

Ireland’s population continued to increase in 2024, with an estimated population of 5.459 million as of April 2025, a 1.5% increase from the previous year. Both immigration and emigration decreased in the year to April 2025, according to the CSO. The drop in immigration partially reflects the tapering off of arrivals from Ukraine, which had been high in previous years following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Net migration (immigration minus emigration) was, therefore, 59,700 in the year to April 2025, a 25% decrease from the previous year. More detailed statistics from 2024 are provided in thematic chapters throughout the report.

There were also significant policy and legislative developments in 2024, particularly in the areas of labour migration, international protection, and integration. Developments also occurred at multiple levels, from the national to European to international levels. The EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum and Ireland’s opt-in to the Pact, which happened in 2024, will shape migration policy and law for many years.

This report serves as a comprehensive resource, providing detailed statistics, policy and legislative changes, summaries of recent research and significant case law. It is intended to be a reliable reference for readers seeking to understand these elements for the year of the report.