Between 50 and 80 million people worldwide claim Irish ancestry. So, where do most of the Irish diaspora live today?
A new colour coded map has revealed the countries with the biggest Irish population.
With somewhere between 50 and 80 million people across the globe claiming some kind of Irish ancestry, the Irish population have certainly made their presence known.
Whether you’re thinking of emigrating or are just curious to learn more, read on to discover which countries boast the largest Irish populations.
Two leading destinations – large Irish populations
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the United States and the United Kingdom lead the way when it comes to countries with the biggest Irish population.
The map, released on Instagram by @brilliantmaps, showed that a whopping 33,000,000 people living Stateside claim Irish ancestry. Thus, making up the vast majority of the Irish diaspora.
Following behind to claim the second largest Irish population, the United Kingdom is home to 6,000,000 members of the diaspora – a number that almost matches the island’s current population.
Where does the Irish diaspora live today – spread far and wide
According to figures listed on the map, Canada and Australia were third and fourth when it came to countries with the biggest Irish population.
Canada is home to 4,600,000 people claiming Irish ancestry while Australia is home to 2,500,000. Other countries that ranked highly included Argentina, New Zealand, Uruguay, and Chile.
Recent findings by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) reveal that this trend of Irish emigration isn’t slowing down. They revealed that almost 70,000 people emigrated from Ireland in the year leading up to April 2024.
These figures are the highest they’ve been since 2015, with almost half of those leaving the island aged between 25 and 44.
