BRITAIN remains the number one destination for Irish-born emigrants with an estimated 400,000 plus now living here.
Figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) reveal that nearly four times as many emigrants live in Britain (412,658) against the USA (143,571).
The migration figures show that as of 2013 a total of 232 million people, 3.2 percent of the world’s population, had moved to another country, but Ireland’s rate is nearly double the average, based on the data compiled.
According to figures 89,000 people leave the country every year, while 55,900 arrive to replace them.
The numbers also show that in Ireland emigration figures have dropped since 2000 when 850,000 Irish lived aboard. In 2000 close to 500,000 lived in Britain.
The Irish living farthest away from home reside in New Zealand, more (18,600km) from home. The country with the fewest Irish is St Helena, a British-owned island off the coast of South Africa, where there are only two Irish people.
As of 2013 the country breakdown is as follows:
UK – 412,658
USA – 143,571
Australia – 77,513
Spain - 17,519
Germany - 12,375
Poland - 8,136
