Huge numbers…
The government has announced that over 779,000 passports were issued in 2017 making it a record number.
It is a 6% increase on 2016 numbers and a 15% increase from 2015 with the figures boosted by the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
Speaking on the announcement, Minster for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Tánaiste Simon Coveney said: “This is the highest number of Irish passports ever issued in one year. It represents an increase of over 6% compared to 2016 (itself a record-breaking year), and an increase of over 15% since 2015.
“The number of applicants from Northern Ireland and Great Britain has continued to rise. Overall, almost 20% of the total number of applications received by the Passport Service this year were from Irish citizens in Northern Ireland or Great Britain.”
The highest number of applications came from the New York consular office with 6,345 applications, with Canberra in second with 5,077.
Passports by Number in 2017 (as of 18 December)
- Passport applications 785,026
- Passports issued 779,184
- Passports issued to adults 494,297
- Passports issued to children 284,887
- Passport cards issued 38,452
- Passport cards issued to men 26,154
- Passport cards issued to women 12,298
The most popular names for the passports issued were as follows;
Boys Girls
Jack Emily
James Emma
Conor Aoife
Daniel Grace
Adam Sophie
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