7 in 10 young adults are considering leaving Ireland — but the migration data tells a more complicated story

News analysis · 22 September 2026. Survey results measure attitudes and intentions; official migration statistics measure actual movements. The two should not be treated as interchangeable.

Almost seven in ten Irish young adults say they are considering leaving the country in search of a better quality of life, according to new polling carried out by RED C for the National Youth Council of Ireland.

The headline number is striking:

68% of 18–24-year-olds surveyed said they were considering leaving Ireland.

And:

71% said they believed they would have a better quality of life abroad.

Housing, the cost of living and access to secure, well-paid work were among the main concerns identified in the research. Irish Times.

But there is an important distinction.

Considering emigration is not the same thing as actually emigrating.

Ireland’s latest official migration figures show that the number of people leaving the State actually fell for the second consecutive year.

That makes the new survey less a forecast of how many young adults will leave, and more a snapshot of how many believe building the life they want may be easier somewhere else.

What did the survey find?

The research was commissioned by the National Youth Council of Ireland and involved 1,010 people aged 18–24.

According to the published findings:

• 68% were considering moving abroad;
• 71% believed their quality of life would be better outside Ireland;
• around nine in ten said rising living costs had negatively affected them;
• 89% believed the housing crisis disproportionately affected young people;
• and around nine in ten said finding secure, well-paid employment was becoming harder.

The same reporting notes that a comparable NYCI survey found 62% of under-25s considering going abroad in 2025, while the equivalent figure in 2024 was around 72%.

So the latest number is higher than last year, but lower than the 2024 figure.

That context matters.

The result suggests persistently high emigration sentiment among young adults rather than a sudden jump to an unprecedented level.

What are young people actually doing?

The latest CSO figures provide the other half of the picture.

In the 12 months to April 2026, an estimated:

62,500 people emigrated from Ireland.

That was 3,100 fewer than the previous year, a fall of around 5%.

Of those emigrants:

19,900 were aged 15–24.

That age group accounted for about 32% of all emigrants. CSO: Population and Migration Estimates.

Ireland also continued to record substantial inward migration.

During the same period:

• 110,600 people immigrated;
• 62,500 emigrated;
• leaving positive net migration of 48,100 people.

The population was estimated at approximately 5.53 million.

So Ireland is not experiencing an overall population exodus.

Irish citizens tell a slightly different story

Looking specifically at citizenship gives another useful perspective.

In the year to April 2026:

35,400 Irish citizens emigrated.

At the same time:

30,200 Irish citizens returned to Ireland.

That produced net outward migration of approximately:

5,200 Irish citizens.

Again, that is a real outflow.

But it is very different from interpreting the survey as meaning 68% of young Irish adults will actually leave.

Surveys measure attitudes and intentions.

Migration statistics measure behaviour.

Both are useful, but they answer different questions.

Housing appears to sit at the centre of the concern

In the new polling, 89% of respondents said the housing crisis disproportionately affects young people.

The financial consequences of housing pressure can extend well beyond rent itself.

High housing costs can make it harder to:

• leave the family home;
• build savings;
• live close to employment;
• plan for home ownership;
• start a family;
• or establish financial independence.

Housing also affects something less easily measured: the point at which someone feels they have been able to start an independent adult life.

That may help explain why emigration is often described by young people as a quality-of-life decision, not simply an employment decision.

Work is becoming a bigger part of the conversation

The survey also points to growing concern about access to secure, well-paid employment.

That fits with separate research commissioned by NYCI and published earlier this month.

The report said youth unemployment has remained more than two-and-a-half times the rate among workers aged 25 and over since 2017. It also highlighted low pay, insecure employment and barriers to financial independence. NYCI.

The report noted that the proportion of working young people living with parents increased from 27% to 40% between 2017 and 2022.

That does not mean every young worker faces the same circumstances.

But it helps explain why a strong headline employment rate does not necessarily answer the question a 23-year-old may actually be asking:

Can this job allow me to build an independent life?

Ireland has seen emigration pressures before

Emigration is deeply embedded in Ireland’s economic history.

But the modern situation can look different from periods when leaving was primarily driven by unemployment and a lack of work.

Today, someone may have:

• a degree;
• a full-time job;
• and reasonable career prospects;

while still believing another country offers a better route to housing, savings or independence.

That changes the nature of the question.

It becomes less about whether employment exists and more about what standard of life that employment can support.

Australia remains an important destination

The latest CSO figures show that around 11,800 people left Ireland for Australia in the year to April 2026.

That was down by around 1,700 from the previous year.

The decline is another reminder that intention and action are not the same thing.

Many people consider living abroad without ultimately moving.

Others leave temporarily and later return.

Emigration therefore does not necessarily represent a permanent departure in every case.

What would actually change the number?

The survey itself cannot establish which particular policy change would persuade someone to stay.

NYCI is an advocacy organisation and has used the findings to support its calls for action on issues including youth homelessness, the cost of living and education costs ahead of Budget 2027. Those are NYCI’s policy positions rather than conclusions proven by the polling itself.

What the survey can show is where respondents say the pressure is concentrated:

housing, living costs and secure employment.

That is useful information even without assuming a particular policy response.

The more revealing number may be 71%

The statistic that may say the most about the mood of respondents is not necessarily the 68% considering emigrating.

It is this:

71% believe their quality of life would be better abroad.

Someone can consider emigrating and never leave.

But believing another country would provide a better life is a measure of expectations.

For Ireland, that makes the question broader than simply counting departures.

The issue is also whether staying — or returning after time abroad — feels like an attractive option.

What the numbers show

The new survey should not be interpreted as evidence that seven in ten Irish young adults are about to emigrate.

Official CSO data show total emigration actually fell in the latest year.

But that does not make the survey irrelevant.

A large share of respondents appear unconvinced that Ireland currently offers the combination of affordable housing, financial independence, secure work and quality of life they want.

The most useful question may therefore not be:

How many young people will leave?

It may be:

Why do so many believe their quality of life would be better if they did?

This article reports survey findings and official migration data. Survey responses represent stated attitudes at the time of polling and should not be interpreted as a forecast of future migration.

Related Compound guides

The pressures identified in the survey overlap with some of Compound’s practical money guides. If housing is the issue, start with Buying a Home in Ireland. If the question is whether a higher salary abroad would actually improve day-to-day finances, the Salary & Hourly Rate Calculator and Lifetime Cost Calculator can help put the numbers into context.