Donegal had biggest population drop in Census 2016

 
Donegal has the highest population decrease in the country over the past five years, with an outward migration of 6,731. Donegal’s population fell by 1.5% to 158,755.
In contrast, the population of County Meath rose by almost 6%.
Preliminary census results announced today show the national population has risen to 4.76 million people, an increase of 170,000 people since the last census in 2011.
Dublin and commuter belt towns showed the largest population increase.
Donegal, Mayo and Sligo were the only counties to show a population decrease.
The census also recorded 260-thousand vacant dwellings across the country, a decrease of almost 14 per cent on 2011. In Donegal the figures show a total of 23,899 vacant dwellings – a vacancy rate of 28.2%.
 
More details available at – http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpr/censusofpopulation2016-preliminaryresults/