Snapshot Of Ireland’s IPAS System: Growth Continues, Kildare At 564 As Of May

The countries with the highest representation in the IPAS system include Nigeria (7,221), Georgia (2,940), Algeria (2,597), and Somalia (2,239).

Kildare has witnessed a slight increase in the number of international protection applicants (IPAs) housed locally, as national figures reveal a snapshot in state-provided accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees.

According to data analysed by Kfm, the number of people accommodated in Kildare rose from 561 on April 27 to 564 by May 4, 2025. 

The total IPAS population reached 32,934 nationally by early May.

The Government has spent almost €420 Million on asylum seeker and refugee accommodation in the first three months of this year.

A total of eighteen companies which are providing accommodation have earned over five million euro between January and the end of March.

The IPAS system saw a weekly intake of 196 new arrivals during the final week of April into May. 

Of those, nearly half were single males (49%), followed by children (24%), couples (12%), single females (11%), and lone parents (4%).

Weekly arrivals as of May

In Kildare, the 564 residents represent roughly 1.7% of the national IPAS cohort. 

This places the county behind larger urban areas such as Dublin City (3,443 residents), South Dublin (3,933), and Fingal (2,383), but ahead of smaller counties like Leitrim (240) and Longford (142).

The countries with the highest representation in the IPAS system include Nigeria (7,221), Georgia (2,940), Algeria (2,597), and Somalia (2,239).

Occupancy Growth Since 2020

IPAS data reflects a dramatic increase in occupancy over the past five years:

    May 4, 2025: 32,934

    End of 2023: 26,279

    End of 2022: 19,104

    End of 2021: 7,244

    End of 2020: 6,997

Based on the April and May 2025 reports, the following countries are deemed unsafe (i.e., not designated as safe countries of origin by Irish authorities):

Countries listed without "safe" designation:

    Nigeria

    Somalia

    Jordan

    Zimbabwe

    Pakistan

    Afghanistan

    Bangladesh

    Palestinian Territories

    Ukraine

    Democratic Republic of Congo

    Eswatini

    Syrian Arab Republic

    Sudan

    Iraq

    Ghana

    Malawi

    Sierra Leone

    Kenya

    El Salvador

Countries marked as “safe”:

    Georgia

    Algeria

    South Africa

    Botswana

    Egypt

    Morocco

    India

    Brazil

    Nicaragua

Ireland’s designation of a country as "safe" typically means that applicants from these states face a higher burden to prove individual risk, as their home nations are officially considered generally free from persecution or torture under Irish and EU law.