Most ethnic groups are concentrated in Dublin and other large urban areas around the country, new census figures show.
New census results relating to the ethnic and cultural background of people normally resident in the State show most Asians (58 per cent) were resident in Dublin.
The capital also had the largest number of Black people, with almost half (48 per cent) resident in Dublin.
Outside of Dublin, Co Louth had the highest proportion of Black people, with 2.2 per cent of the population, compared to the national average figure of 1.1 per cent.
The main reason for the higher numbers is likely to be linked to the location of accommodation centres for asylum seekers in the region. About half of all asylum seekers in the northeast are based in the county, according to the Health Service Executive (HSE).
Aidan Punch, a senior statistician with the Central Statistics Office (CSO), said it was clear that most ethnic groups were concentrated in large urban areas. However, he cautioned against reading too much into the concentration of ethnic groups in particular areas as the numbers were so small.
Nationally, 95 per cent of people were white, followed by Asians (1.3 per cent) and Blacks (1.1 per cent). Almost 2 per cent did not answer the question.
The questions relating to ethnicity were drafted in consultation with a range of group representing non-Irish nationals. They will be used to benchmark changes among ethnic groups in future research.
Under the heading of marital status, significant differences were recorded among ethnic groups.
In the 25-44 age group, some 70 per cent among the African community were married. This compared to 63 per cent of Travellers in the same age group, 48 per cent of white Irish and 45 per cent of Chinese.
In the area of education, results show ethnic groups had a high level of educational attainment. A total of 14 per cent of the Irish population had a third level degree or higher, compared to 12 per cent of Chinese, 17 per cent of Blacks and 34 per cent of other Asians.
These results provide a further indication that many foreign nationals are working in jobs well below their qualification level.
The census results also capture how large-scale immigration has changed the religious profile of the State. Muslims now represent the third largest religious grouping, behind Catholics and Church of Ireland.
The number of Muslims rose by 13,400 to more than 32,500 since the last census four years ago.
Catholics now number 3.6 million (an increase of 218,800 since 2002), while there are 125,600 members of the Church of Ireland (an increase of 10,000).
In the area of ethnicity, a third of blacks were Catholic, while a sixth were Muslims. Among Asians, a quarter were Catholic and just over a fifth were Muslim.
Younger members of these ethnic groups are also able to speak Irish, census results show. In the 3-19 years age group, a total of 63 per cent of white Irish said they could speak Irish. Almost half of Chinese children spoke Irish (44 per cent), followed by Africans (34 per cent) and Travellers (24 per cent).
The census figures are the most accurate snapshot of the numbers of foreign nationals resident here, given that Personal Public Service (PPS) numbers issued to immigrants do not show whether the recipient has since returned to their own country.
