Ireland's population reached landmark number in April of this year

Ireland took a huge blow when it was ravaged by the infamous Potato Blight for five years between 1845 and 1850. 

However, Ireland's status quo as a nation with a dwindling population seems to have been broken, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The CSO has revealed that the population of the Emerald Isle is actually now at its highest since 1851, with an estimated 5,011,500 people living here,.

Other notable findings from the agency include:

• 1,426,000 people live in Dublin, roughly 28.5 per cent of the total population.
• 645,500 foreign nationals currently reside in Ireland, making up just under 13 per cent of the population.
• A Total Net Migration of 11,200
• 30,200 returning nationals and 22,800 nationals leaving the country to start a new life abroad.

Another notable finding was that the elderly population (742,300 people) has experienced an increase of just under 18 per cent since 2016.

The CSO also reported that there were 55,500 births and 32,700 deaths in the year to April, giving a natural increase in the population of 22,800.

"This is the lowest level of natural increase recorded since the 2000 population estimates", the group explained.

Previously in 2019, Ireland's population was reported to be 4.904 million.

Statistician James Hegarty told RTE News about the CSO's latest figures: "Ireland's population was estimated to be 5.01 million in April 2021, which is the first time the population has risen above five million since the 1851 census, when the comparable population was 5.11 million."

He added that the total population on the island of Ireland in 1851 was 6.6 million, and that the results were also indicative of demographic and social impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the nation.

The Central Statistics Office is the statistical organisation responsible for the gathering of "information relating to economic, social and general activities and conditions" in Ireland.

It uses the National Census, which is held every five years, to guide their findings and predictions.

The CSO also made headlines recently when it was nominated by the Cork Digital Marketing Awards in 2 categories: Best Use of Twitter (Employees 50+) and Best Social Media Campaign.