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Over the last 200 years, many people have migrated out of the British Isles, Ireland and Northern Ireland for a variety of reasons.

• It is estimated that nearly 10 million people have emigrated from Ireland since 1800.

• People have been migrating from Ireland for many years, small numbers of Quakers and Presbyterians left for America from 1800 onwards and continued until 1815.

• Between 1815 and 1846 the numbers of people choosing to migrate from Ireland to the USA started to increase with up to 1 million sailing for North America.

• At first, it was the moderately well off and richer people who migrated as they were the only ones who could afford to.

The partition of Ireland into the separate states of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland created an unsettled time from 1920 into the 1930s and many people continued to move both north or south of the border and further afield.

From the establishment of Northern Ireland until the Year 2000 – there was a large stream of migrants who continued to leave.

Net Migration is the difference between the number of immigrants (people arriving) and emigrants (people leaving) each year.

There were a number of events that led to larger numbers of people wanting to leave Northern Ireland:

1920s to 1930s: The political situation that surrounded the partition of the island of Ireland meant that many Protestant people who had been living in the south chose to move into the north and many Catholic people who had been living in the north chose to move south. However, there was still also a stream of people who continued to migrate to England, Scotland and further afield.

1939 to 1945: World War Two meant that there were often many temporary visitors (British and American troops) but also many people migrated to live and work in other countries.

1950s and 1960s: The years after the war continued to be hard for many people and there was a lack of workers on the British mainland. The unemployment rates were much higher in Northern Ireland compared with other parts of the UK – so many people took their chances and moved over to England.

1970s and 1980s: The Troubles started in the late 1960s and spanned the next 28 years. The number of bombings and shootings meant that many people (especially those who lived in working class city areas) decided to move away to try and escape the violence.

1990s and 2000s: Following the paramilitary ceasefires and the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the Troubles ended and Northern Irish people, for the first time in a long time, had more confidence in shaping a potential future in their homeland. Migration streams started to dry up and for the first time – people from other countries were starting to think about moving into Northern Ireland to live and work.

Throughout the years – one migration stream has always remained and continues - the ‘Brain Drain’ of some of the smart, young people as they travel across to England and Scotland for university, often never to return.

It is only in the last 25 years that people have started to migrate into Northern Ireland. Following the ceasefires and the Good Friday agreement, people from outside Northern Ireland were interested in living in this new peaceful society.

In May 2004, eight different Eastern European countries joined the European Union (EU):

• Czech Republic
• Estonia
• Hungary
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Poland
• Slovakia
• Slovenia

This gives these countries, known as the A8 the right, to work and live anywhere within the EU. Since 2008 many of their citizens have used this right to move and work in Northern Ireland.

From 2001, there has been a steady number of people arriving into Northern Ireland.

Source: NISRA

• In 2001 around 66% of the migrants were (arriving or leaving) from the rest of the UK with about 33% from international destinations.
• Nowadays about 50% of the migrants are arriving or leaving from the rest of the UK and about 50% from international destinations.Northern Ireland is gradually becoming more ethnically diverse.
• In 2010, the number of migrants coming into Northern Ireland was a total of 11,777 and these mostly came from the Republic of Ireland (1,632), Slovakia (413), Latvia (603), India (546), Poland (2,125) and Lithuania (1,472).
• By 2021 out of a total population of 1.9 million people – 10,761 had been born in Africa, 29,241 in the Middle East and Asia, 40,357 in the Republic of Ireland and 67,451 from other EU European countries.
• The UK has now left the European Union, and this changes the rights of European migrants to move to Northern Ireland. The impact of this change will be seen in the coming years.