Central Statistics Office

Demography Section and Vital Statistics Section 

Cathal Doherty / Sean O'Connor

Central Statistics Office,

Skehard Road

Blackrock

Cork

Ireland

First results on the main demographic developments in the year of reference.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Number of persons.

Data are available at national level of geographical detail.

6 months from the reference period

Not applicable.

Counts of statistical units

The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31 December).
The reference period for vital events data is the calendar year in which the events registered. 
The reference period for migration flow data is the calendar year in which the migration occurred.

The Statistics Act 1993

Not available.

The Statistics Act 1993

The Act provides a comprehensive mandate for compiling official statistics on an independent and objective basis. The Act protects the confidentiality of the information provided to the CSO, which may only be used for statistical purposes; and confidential data may not be disseminated or otherwise communicated to third parties, including Government Departments or bodies.

Data is used only for the purposes for which it was collected and GDPR is fully complied with.

https://www.cso.ie/en/csolatestnews/releasecalendar/

https://www.cso.ie/en/csolatestnews/releasecalendar/

The user gains access to the released data on 11am of release day

Population and Migration Estimates are published Annually with an April reference date. 

Annual data with a December reference period is provided to Eurostat and disseminated on the Eurostat website.

Vital Statistics data is published on a quarterly basis.

Population and Migration Estimates (year ending April) release are available as a eletronic release (available in August) and the data is also available on the CSO PXSTAT data table service.  December population estimates are provided to Eurostat as required under regulation 1260/2013.  These are disseminated on the Eurostat website

In context to the Population and Migration Estimates please see 10.1

Population and Migration Estimates - https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/population/

Births & Deaths - https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/birthsdeathsandmarriages/

PXSTAT - https://data.cso.ie/product/PME

Not applicable.

Not applicable

https://www.cso.ie/en/methods/population/populationandmigrationestimates/

The principle source of the migration estimates which in turn feed into progress population quarterly estimates, using the most recent census as a base year, is the Labour Force Survey (LFS).

The survey interviewers receive continuous training and the data returns undergo quality and validation checks.

The inter Census population estimates are subject to revision following the publication of the Census of population, the Census of Population is conducted every 5 years.  The latest Census of population was scheduled for April 2021 but was postponed until April 2022 due to the pandemic, defacto population results from the Census are schedule to be published throughout 2023. Detailed usual resident results needed to revise the inter Census population estimates will be available in Q2 2023.  

The migration estimates are compiled with reference to movements in other migration indicators such as the number of Personal Public Service (PPS) numbers allocated to non-Irish nationals and new registrations with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). In the past PPS number aggregates were used for coherence but since 2022 administrative microdata is assessed for signs of administrative life in parallel with the estimation of migration. The number of visas issued to Irish nationals to a number of destinations including Australia, USA and Canada are compared with the emigration data collected by the LFS.  In addition, data on National Insurance numbers (equivalent to PPS numbers) issued to Irish nationals in the UK is referenced.  Mirror statistics measuring the flows of Irish nationals to/from the EU28 are also examined.

The data has wide national usage from government departments (particularly those involved in policy formation and planning), economists and research bodies. A number of special interest groups working in the area of migration and integration also require the data. International users include Eurostat, The European Commission and various international organisations.

The CSO engages regularly with it's users and facilitates ad hoc data and meeting requests.  

The Census of Population which is conducted every 5 years (last conducted in 2022) provides a unit level analysis of Ireland's demographic landscape.  The inter Census migration estimates are based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS).  The sample nature of this survey means that only high level aggregates can be provided for the inter Census period.

Population and Migration Estimates

The population and migration estimates are subject to revision following the publication of the Census of population.  Ireland conducts a Census every 5 years and the most recent detailed results are available from April 2016.  Following the publication of Census 2016 the 2016 population estimate required an upward adjustment of 65,900 (see table below).

Sampling error is not currently calculated for the Population and migration estimates

In addition to known sampling errors any survey will be subject to other non-sampling errors (for example measurement errors arising from questions not capturing the desired information accurately). The exact level of the non-sampling error is far more difficult to measure than the sampling error and no formal estimate of the non-samping error is available in the LFS.

Information on the LFS interviews is collected and analysed to help minimise non-sampling effects (including, for example, when interviews are concluded and their duration). This information is compared across the interview team to ensure no unusual variation in interviewer performance exists. Co-ordinates, as an additional check on the quality of the interviewer's work, call back to around 2% of households to check the quality of the collected data.

6 months after the reference period.

Not available.

Not applicable. Always consistent.

The migration estimates are compiled with reference to movements in other migration indicators such as the number of Personal Public Service (PPS) numbers allocated to non-Irish nationals and the number of visas issued to Irish nationals to a number of the destinations including Australia, US and Canada.  In addition, data on National Insurance numbers (equivalent to PPS numbers) issued to Irish nationals in the UK is referenced.

Population and migration estimates are revised to be coherent with the most recent Census of Population

The Base population is derived from the Census of Population which is collected every 5 years and costs in the region of €50 million.

The migration estimates are compiled using questions from the Labour Force Survey, these costs are absorbed by the Labour Force Survey.

Vital Events data is obtained from the General Registration Office, this is administrative data and therefore does not incur a cost.

In all cases response burden is minimal.

Population and Migration Estimates are subject to revision once definitive Census results become available.  The Census of Population is conducted every five years and the five years of inter Census estimates are revised following the publication of the Census results.

Population and Migration Estimates are subject to revision once definitive Census results become available.  The revision is undertaken following the full and final publication of the Census of Population results.  The last scheduled revisions were carried out in 2017, data returns for 2012 - 2016 inclusive were revised. 

The next scheduled revisions will take place in Q2 2023 as detailed 2022 Census of Population results become available, data returns for 2017-2022 inclusive will be revised.  

Census is usually carried out every 5 Years. LFS and Vital Statistics are carried out every quarterly

The principle source of the migration estimates is the Labour Force Survey (LFS).

The migration questions are asked at each household in the sample, the total quarterly sample at any point in time is designed to be approximately 26,000 households.

Households are asked to take part in the survey for five consecutive quarters and are then replaced by other households in the same block. Thus, one fifth of the households in the survey are replaced each quarter and the LFS sample involves an overlap of 80% between two consecutive years.

Administrative data was used in 2022 to determine signs of administrative life for those who have arrived under the Temporary Protective Directive. This was possible as all those arriving under TPD obtained a personal public service number. Monthly data sources including revenue and social welfare payment receipt allowed activity to be determined and logic determined whether a TPD person from March 2022 to December 2022 was an inward migrant. 

All checking producures are carried out on a quarterly basis.

See concepts 18.3 and 18.4.

Population and Migration Estimates are subject to revisions once the definitive results from the census is available. 

Not available.