Why Croatians are leaving Ireland in droves

Dublin

The number of Croats moving to Ireland has significantly decreased, with only 526 Croatian nationals relocating there in the first nine months of this year.

Today, only around 16,000 to 17,000 Croats live in Ireland—half the number who once resided there.

Over the past 20 years, approximately 34,000 Croatians were issued PPS numbers (Ireland’s equivalent of Croatia’s OIB), according to Večernji list.

Notably, the trend isn’t limited to Croats; even Poles, who moved in large numbers to Ireland (over 400,000 in the last two decades), now number only around 100,000.

A major factor driving this exodus is Ireland’s ongoing housing crisis, coupled with growing dissatisfaction among Irish citizens who feel that the country has welcomed too many immigrants despite its limited space.

Public safety is also a rising concern. Experts believe that integration challenges often emerge when immigrants make up more than 10–12% of a population—a threshold Ireland has surpassed.

Demographer Prof. Dr Nenad Pokos notes that Ireland’s 2022 census recorded 13,649 Croatian nationals.

Although this census used a different methodology, focusing on citizenship rather than place of birth, the actual figure is believed to be higher, as indicated by the number of PPS numbers issued.

Croatia’s ambassador to Ireland, Dr Davor Vidiš, estimates that between 16,000 and 17,000 Croatian nationals currently reside in Ireland.

Of the approximately 34,000 who obtained PPS numbers over the last two decades, about half have returned to Croatia, while a smaller portion has relocated to other EU countries.

The wave of Croatians moving to Ireland began after Croatia joined the EU in 2013. In 2014, 2,224 Croatians moved to Ireland, followed by 4,342 in 2015, and a peak of 5,312 in 2016.

Numbers gradually declined, particularly during the pandemic. Croatians in Ireland are spread across the country, predominantly working in hospitality and retail. However, the high cost of living and housing has deterred many from settling in Dublin.

“In Dublin, a 60-square-metre flat costs €400,000–500,000—something even the Irish struggle to afford. Like in Croatia’s coastal regions, Ireland also has a ‘landlord caste,’ and the fact that 60–70% of Irish parliamentarians are landlords doesn’t help resolve the housing crisis. Public safety is another growing issue. It’s estimated that the Croatian community in Cork may now be larger than in Dublin,” explains Ambassador Vidiš.

A tragic incident earlier this year deeply affected Croats in Ireland, when a young Croatian man was fatally attacked by a group of Irish hooligans.

In the past month alone, three Croatian nationals have been assaulted and robbed on the streets. Ireland’s housing crisis, rising anti-immigrant sentiment, and fears among many Irish about losing their national identity have exacerbated tensions.

Vidiš attributes the decline in migration from EU countries to Ireland to improved labour markets in the migrants’ home countries, which have made relocating less necessary.

Most people who moved to Ireland did so for work, often driven by challenges in their own countries, Večernji list reports.