Ireland continues to have the fastest-growing population in the EU, according to figures released today by the CSO.
In the year ending April 2007, Ireland's population grew by 2.5 per cent to just under 4.34 million people. This marked the third year in a row the population increased by over 2 per cent annually.
CSO figures found that two-thirds of the increase in population (106,100) was accounted for by net migration. The other third (38,800) was accounted for by a natural increase in the population (births less deaths).
The total number of immigrants into the State in the year ending April 2007 was 109,500, up almost 2,000 on the previous year and substantially higher than for any other year since the series began in 1987.
The CSO also found that nearly half (48 per cent) of immigrants were nationals of the 12 new EU accession states.
The estimated number of emigrants from the State in 12 months to April 2007 was 42,200, which is "considerably higher" than that estimated in recent years, the CSO said.
More than half (55 per cent) of immigrants were aged 25-44 while a further 28 per cent were aged 15-24. Approximately 1 in 10 of the immigrants were children under the age of 15.
Meanwhile the CSO said that the excess of births over deaths has more than doubled from 16,600 in the twelve-month period ending April 1994 to 38,800 in the corresponding period to April 2007.