More than half of the adults in emergency homeless accommodation in December were foreign nationals, the latest official figures show.
The Department of Housing published its Monthly Homelessness Report for December 2025 today. The report recorded 16,734 individuals in emergency accommodation. Of these, 11,546 were adults while 5,188 were children.
This is a slight decline compared to 16,996 homeless in November.
Of the adults, 5,812 were foreign nationals – 2,289 from the EEA or UK and 3,523 from outside the EEA. This compares to 5,734 Irish nationals.
No nationality breakdown was provided for children.
Housing Minister James Browne has previously acknowledged that non-Irish citizens account for a significant proportion of adults in emergency accommodation – however he claimed “they have a right to be here, and they have a right to housing supports.”
The latest Monthly Homelessness Report also provided a breakdown of family composition in emergency accommodation.
Of the 9,423 individuals recorded as being in families, 5,188 were children under 18.
This means children accounted for 55.1% of individuals in families, while the remaining 4,235 were adults.
The report further detailed the gender of the 11,546 adults in emergency accommodation across the State.
Males numbered 6,963, representing 60.3% of all adults. Females numbered 4,583, representing 39.7%.
A breakdown by age group was also included for adults in emergency accommodation.
Adults aged 45-64 numbered 3,123, or 27.1%. Those aged 18-24 totalled 2,017, or 17.5%. Adults aged 65 and over numbered 270, representing 2.3%.
The largest group was aged 25-44, with 6,136 individuals or 53.1% of the total.
Homelessness figures have reached successive record highs throughout 2025. Ireland’s population has grown significantly in recent years, driven in part by immigration, adding pressure to housing supply.