Posted by January 24, 2026 19:30 James Brennan Opinion
Ireland is losing its future generation at an alarming rate. CSO provisional data for 2025 shows emigration surging again, with an estimated **65,600 people leaving** in the year to April 2025—the highest outflow since the post-2008 crash peak. Young adults aged 20-34 make up the bulk, heading primarily to Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US in search of affordable housing, better wages, and career opportunities they can’t find at home.
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The driver is brutally simple: average house prices hit €320,000+ nationally in late 2025 (Dublin closer to €450,000), while first-time buyer deposits remain out of reach for most on median salaries of €48,000. Rents devour 40-50% of take-home pay in cities, leaving zero savings potential. Meanwhile, Help-to-Buy and shared-equity schemes are criticised as bandaids that inflate prices further.
A 2025 Youth Forum survey found **68%** of 18-35-year-olds seriously considering leaving Ireland within five years—up from 52% in 2023. X is flooded with “I’m out” posts, flight tickets screenshots, and bitter farewells from graduates who studied here only to be priced out of staying.
This brain drain isn’t inevitable—it’s engineered by chronic undersupply and policy paralysis. Build 60,000+ homes a year, cap rent gouging, and give young Irish a real stake in their own country. Otherwise, the only thing growing faster than house prices will be the number of Irish passports stamped “gone for good.”
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