America and the United Kingdom have the largest Irish diaspora worldwide.

There are between 50 million and 80 million people worldwide who claim ‘some sort of Irish ancestry,’ with as many as 33,000,000 Irish-Americans Stateside.

The large diaspora across the world is the result of mass emigration, which has occurred over the years due to a number of events and factors.

Dating back to the mid 1800s, the Great Famine is the most significant cause of large-scale emigration.

Prior to the Famine, there was poverty and unemployment, which also led to emigration, while Ireland, being under British rule, was also a cause for the Irish to leave the country as an escape.

While Ireland currently has a population of around 7 million, Brilliant Maps has estimated that there is a 10:1 ratio of Irish living outside of Ireland to those living in it.

USA is home to the most people claiming Irish heritage, followed by the UK at 6,000,000 and Canada at 4,600,000.

Coming in at number four, with no surprise, is Australia, with Brilliant Maps claiming there are 2,500,000 Down Under.

Rounding up the top five is Argentina with a population of 700,000 Irish.

It comes not long after it was revealed that 69,000 people emigrated from Ireland in the 12 months up to April 2025 — an increase of 5,000 from the same time the previous year.

New figures from the CSO (Central Statistics Office) revealed that it was the highest emigration figure since 2015.

Almost half (48%) of those leaving Ireland were aged 25 to 44 years old, with the United Kingdom and Australia both proving popular destinations for expats.

Read more

Figures revealed that 15,200 and 10,600 citizens emigrated to the UK and Australia respectively.

While emigration was at a record high, so was immigration, which was recorded at a 17-year high.

149,200 immigrants arrived in Ireland in the 12-month period — 30,000 were returning Irish citizens, 27,000 were EU citizens, and 5,400 were UK citizens.

*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.

** Originally published in 2024 and updated in September 2026.

Related: Immigration