Asylum seekers who get DEA from the government increased by thousands last year
According to the latest data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), over 18,500 people sought asylum in Ireland in 2024.
This surge is reflected in the sharp rise in the number of recipients of the Daily Expense Allowance (DEA), with 7,000 more people receiving the payment compared to 2023.
The DEA is a payment made each week consisting of €38.80 for adults and €29.80 for children, aimed at helping those living in Direct Provision or International Protection Accommodation Services to pay for living costs.
However, people who have received permission to work or have enough income do not qualify for the payment.
Demographically, the profile of those receiving the DEA shows that 48% were aged between 25 and 44, with almost a quarter of recipients in 2024 under the age of 15.
A gender imbalance persists, with men making up nearly two-thirds of recipients each year from 2022 to 2024.
The CSO notes that in the last decade, the percentage of women benefiting from the allowance remained consistently lower than that of men.
New beneficiaries in 2024 came primarily from Nigeria, Jordan, Somalia, and Pakistan, while in previous years, Algeria and Georgia each had over 1,000 people receiving support.
As of the most recent IPAS figures, Nigeria tops the list of countries with the most people in accommodation, followed by Georgia, Algeria, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Jordan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and South Africa.
The financial cost of accommodating asylum seekers has risen dramatically.
In 2024, for the first time, annual state expenditure on International Protection accommodation exceeded €1 billion, marking a 54% increase from the €651 million spent in 2023.
Minister for Integration Norma Foley confirmed that the average daily cost per asylum seeker reached €84 in 2024, up from €76.80 the previous year.
She explained that costs fluctuate depending on the type and availability of accommodation, as well as the number of residents.
Since the start of 2019, Ireland has spent €2.5 billion on housing those seeking protection, with much of that cost concentrated in recent years.
In 2021, IPAS was accommodating just over 7,000 individuals.
Today, it houses almost 33,000, including approximately 9,000 children with their families.
Despite the growing strain on the system, there are signs of successful integration into the workforce.
The CSO found that 77% of those who received the DEA for the first time in 2022 had engaged in employment by 2024.
This improvement coincided with the reduction of the mandatory waiting period to access the labour market, which was shortened from nine months to six in 2021.
Still, a gender gap in employment activity remains.
More than 75% of men had employment activity in 2021, 2022, and 2023, while the figure for women ranged from 53% to 65% during the same period.
The CSO highlighted a noticeable time lag between DEA receipt and entry into the labour market.
Alongside the state's support for international protection applicants, Ireland also manages a separate programme for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection, primarily aimed at housing Ukrainians.
Since 2022, €239 million has been paid to accommodation providers for housing nearly 50,000 individuals under the EU Temporary Protection Directive.
The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) provides €800 per month to hosts, with over 15,500 hosts currently housing almost 36,000 people in more than 19,000 accommodations across the country.
Dublin, Cork, Donegal, Mayo, and Galway have the highest numbers of ARP recipients.
Plans are underway to develop more state-owned or publicly managed facilities in an effort to reduce this dependency.
Although the number of new asylum seekers in 2025 has decreased by around 40% compared to 2024, the long-term demand on Ireland's public services and integration infrastructure remains a concern.
See More: Asylum Seeker, DEA, Immigration
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