IRELAND'S population has hit its highest level in almost 170 years.
The population in the Republic stands at just over 4.9 million, new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.
With Northern Ireland's population recorded at more than 1.8m in 2018, it means the island's overall population has reached more than 6.8m.
The figure surpasses the level recorded in the census of 1851 when Ireland's population was more than 6.5m.
In the pre-famine census of 1841, almost 8.2m people lived on the island.
The latest CSO report shows a population growth in the Republic of 64,500 in the year to April 2019.
It said non-Irish nationals accounted for almost 13 per cent of the south's population.
CSO statistician James Hegarty told RTÉ the combined effect of positive net migration and sustained increase resulted in total of 1.3 per cent population growth.
