DUBLIN, Ireland: State spending on housing asylum seekers rose by 19 percent in 2025 to 1.2 billion euros, even though new asylum applications fell by 29 percent that year.
New figures from the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O'Callaghan, show that spending increased by 195 million euros — from 1.005 billion euros in 2024 to 1.2 billion euros in 2025.
The 1.2 billion euros spent in 2025 equals an average daily cost of about 3.29 million euros. This total is almost twice the 2023 spending of 651.7 million euros.
In written replies in the Dáil to Independent Ireland TD Ken O'Flynn, O'Callaghan said these costs cover accommodation for international protection applicants, as well as transport, facility management, utilities, and other related expenses.
O'Callaghan told the Cork North Central TD that the State is currently accommodating over 33,000 people seeking international protection in more than 312 International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres around the country.
Of the 33,000 residents, more than 9,700 are children, O'Callaghan said.
He said, "Providing receptive conditions to people who are applying for international protection is part of EU and Irish law."
O'Callaghan revealed that at the end of 2025, there were 33,241, a decline of 533 from 33,774 in IPAS centres at the end of 2024.
In a separate written Dáil reply to Fianna Fáil TD John Connolly, O'Callaghan revealed that the number of new applications last year totalled 13,160, as against 18,500 for 2024 – a drop of 29 percent.
In 2025, IP applicants from Somalia were ranked first with 2,021, followed by Nigeria - 1940, Pakistan - 1,680, and Afghanistan - 1,290.
O'Callaghan said that in 2025, the International Protection Office made more than 20,200 first decisions on asylum applications, and about 81% of them were refusals.
He also told O'Flynn that people currently staying in IPAS accommodation centres spend an average of 24.8 months there across all 312 centres.
He explained that the government faced significant difficulties finding accommodation amid a surge in asylum applications between 2022 and 2024. Although the situation is starting to improve, many effects of that surge are still being felt.
During those years, more than 45,000 additional applicants arrived in Ireland, compared with the usual 8,000 to 9,000 over a normal three-year period. This sharp increase put heavy pressure on housing, application processing, and waiting times. Because of this, the government is trying to shorten the time people spend in IPAS by speeding up application decisions.
O'Callaghan added that the number of new applications last year fell by about one-third compared to the previous year.
He said that, due to a shortage of accommodation and the need to prioritize the most vulnerable, IPAS cannot currently offer housing to all single male applicants upon arrival. The number of people waiting for accommodation is now 453, down from a peak of 3,500 in March 2025.
Speaking about costs, O'Callaghan said the government is also working to provide more state-owned accommodation because it is cheaper than renting from private companies. He noted that the state's purchase of Citywest in 2025 was an important step, increasing state-owned bed spaces from about 900 in 2024 to over 4,000 now.
However, he said private accommodation will still be needed in the medium term. The department is reviewing and renegotiating contracts as they end, using a new pricing system that has already saved about 77 million euros since May 2025.
