New population statistics have revealed that the so-called ‘brain drain’ of graduates leaving Ireland has come to an end as more people with third-level qualifications have moved to Ireland than left in the last year.

The latest publication from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed that the number of graduates immigrating in the year to April 2016 outweighed those emigrating by 6,200. This is compared to a net loss of graduates in 2011 of 13,400.

However, despite economic improvements and falling unemployment, there are still more Irish nationals leaving the country than moving home. In the year to April 2016, 31,800 left Ireland and only 21,000 came home. However, this marked a jump of 74 per cent on 2015 when just 12,100 returned.

On the whole, the CSO figures found that, for the first time since 2009, more people have moved to Ireland than left, with 79,300 people immigrating and 76,200 emigrating. The number of people working in Ireland has now surpassed two million for the first time since 2008 and the overall population now stands at an estimated 4.67 million people.