Published July 2026
Global Diaspora Report 2026
Founded in 2009, Ireland Reaching Out is one of Ireland's leading Diaspora organisations. A registered Irish charity with 100,000 members worldwide, this survey was largely conducted in 2025 and completed in early 2026. We intend to conduct this survey on a bi-annual basis going forward.
For further information about the survey, to comment, or to contact Ireland Reaching Out about any matter relating to the survey, please email info@irelandxo.com.
Initial Findings
Strong Global Demand to Deepen Diaspora Engagement with Ireland
The Irish Diaspora has a clear desire to deepen its relationship with Ireland. Findings from this large-scale survey (n = 2,709) reveal strong, consistent demand for enhanced community infrastructure, expanded cultural exchange opportunities, meaningful place-based heritage connections, and practical pathways for sustained engagement. The scale and diversity of the sample lend significant weight to the results, positioning them as both compelling and broadly representative of a highly motivated international Diaspora audience.
The data highlights a strong appetite for digital connection. A notable 81% of respondents expressed a desire to connect online with like-minded people of Irish ancestry, both in Ireland and within their local communities. This underscores the importance of creating accessible, well-designed platforms that facilitate meaningful interaction across borders.
Place-based connection is a key priority. Three-quarters (75%) of respondents stated that it is important to connect with Irish people linked to the specific locality of their ancestors, pointing to a desire for more personalised, geographically rooted engagement with Ireland.
In addition, 68% of respondents indicated an interest in sharing cultural content online with fellow members of the Irish Diaspora. This strong inclination toward cultural exchange reinforces the role of digital spaces as not just networking hubs, but as platforms for storytelling, identity expression, and community building.
Beyond connection, there is significant interest in contributing to Ireland's cultural and economic life. Respondents expressed strong intent to support Irish culture, purchase Irish products and services, and invest in Irish businesses, highlighting The Diaspora's potential as an active partner in Ireland's ongoing development.
Together, these findings point to a vibrant and actionable demand for deeper digital community-building, richer cultural exchange, and structured pathways for sustained, mutually beneficial engagement with Ireland.
Irish Business
Are you interested in Irish Products/Services?
| Response | Total |
|---|---|
| Yes | 1,796 |
| No | 913 |
| Total | 2,709 |
Summary
An emphatic majority of respondents - 1,796 (66%) - indicated that they are interested in Irish products and services, compared to 913 (34%) who are not. Two thirds of the entire survey cohort expressing a positive interest in Irish products and services is a striking and unambiguous finding.
Key Learning
This single data point establishes the fundamental commercial case for Diaspora engagement - the Irish global Diaspora represents a large, reachable, and predisposed consumer market for Irish products and services. Unlike a general export market, this audience comes with a built-in emotional and cultural affinity for Ireland that significantly lowers the barrier to purchase. For Irish businesses, state agencies such as Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bia, and policymakers, this finding should be treated as a clear mandate to develop a structured and coordinated strategy to convert Diaspora sentiment into Diaspora spend.
Supporting Irish businesses
| Response | Total |
|---|---|
| 1 | 812 |
| 2 | 487 |
| 3 | 786 |
| 4 | 377 |
| 5 | 247 |
| Total | 2,709 |
Summary
Interest in supporting Irish businesses produced a notably polarised response, with 812 respondents - the single largest group - selecting the lowest rating of 1, indicating little or no interest. A further 487 selected 2, meaning that those rating their interest at 1 or 2 accounted for 1,299 respondents (48%). Those rating their interest at 4 or 5 accounted for just 624 respondents (23%), with 786 selecting the neutral midpoint of 3.
Key Learning
In a general consumer survey of this nature, a high level of active business support interest would not be anticipated - people are being asked about heritage and cultural connection, not investment appetite. Against that backdrop, the fact that 23% of respondents gave the maximum rating of 5 is a remarkable and strategically significant finding. Scaled against the reputed 40 million strong Irish Diaspora, even a fraction of that proportion represents an extraordinary and largely untapped resource of goodwill, networks, and potential commercial support for Irish enterprise. Agencies such as the IDA and Enterprise Ireland should take serious note - identifying, engaging, and activating this cohort of high-interest Diaspora members could yield substantial returns for Irish business development, and warrants a dedicated and structured programme of outreach.
Working for Irish businesses in Ireland or abroad
I would like to learn more about opportunities to work for Irish businesses, at home in Ireland or abroad
| Response | Total |
|---|---|
| No Response | 1,278 |
| 1 | 642 |
| 2 | 208 |
| 3 | 249 |
| 4 | 201 |
| 5 | 131 |
| Total | 2,709 |
Summary
Of the 1,431 respondents who engaged with this question, the majority expressed limited interest in working for Irish businesses at home or abroad, with 642 selecting the lowest rating of 1 and a further 208 selecting 2, together accounting for 850 respondents (59% of active respondents). Those rating their interest at 4 or 5 accounted for just 332 respondents (23%).
Key Learning
Given that this is a heritage and cultural survey dominated by an older demographic, it is perhaps expected that active employment interest would be limited. Yet even within this context, the 332 respondents who rated their interest at 4 or 5 represent a noteworthy finding. When considered against the full scale of the global Irish Diaspora, this points to a significant and largely unexplored human resource opportunity for Irish businesses - a pool of individuals who are not merely qualified professionals, but who bring with them a deeply personal motivation to connect with and contribute to Ireland. For Irish companies seeking international talent, and for Diaspora organisations working to deepen economic ties, this cohort deserves specific attention. A structured programme connecting professionally active members of The Diaspora with Irish businesses - at home and abroad - could represent one of the most immediately actionable and high-value strands of a comprehensive Diaspora strategy.
Products/services from Irish Diaspora
Would you be interested in supporting businesses owned by members of the Irish Diaspora near you, as well as supporting businesses based in Ireland?
| Response | Total |
|---|---|
| Yes | 1,430 |
| No | 1,279 |
| Total | 2,709 |
Summary
When asked whether they would be interested in supporting businesses owned by members of the Irish Diaspora in their local area, as well as businesses based in Ireland, respondents were almost evenly split - 1,430 (53%) said yes, and 1,279 (47%) said no. While a slim majority expressed interest, the margin is notably narrower than for Irish products and services originating from Ireland itself.
Key Learning
While much of this survey naturally focuses on the relationship between The Diaspora and Ireland itself, this question reveals something equally important and often overlooked - a strong and genuine desire among Diaspora members to support and connect with each other. The fact that 1,430 respondents - over half of the entire survey cohort - expressed willingness to actively support fellow Irish Diaspora businesses in their own communities is a remarkable demonstration of intra-Diaspora solidarity. This points to the very real potential of building Irish Diaspora business networks at a local and regional level abroad, creating vibrant communities of mutual economic support that strengthen Irish identity and connection far beyond Ireland's shores. A thriving, interconnected global Irish Diaspora business community is not merely a commercial opportunity - it is a living expression of Irish identity that merits recognition and support as a central pillar of any national Diaspora strategy.
Investing in or supporting small Irish businesses
| Response | Total |
|---|---|
| No Response | 1,064 |
| 1 | 457 |
| 2 | 705 |
| 3 | 214 |
| 4 | 269 |
| Total | 2,709 |
Summary
Of the 1,645 respondents who engaged with this question, interest in investing in or supporting small Irish businesses skewed towards the lower end of the scale. Those rating their interest at 1 or 2 accounted for 1,162 respondents (71% of active respondents), while those rating their interest at 4 or 5 accounted for 484 respondents (29%). The midpoint of 3 attracted just 214 respondents, suggesting that opinion on this topic is relatively polarised rather than evenly distributed.
Key Learning
Direct investment interest is perhaps the least likely category to generate significant enthusiasm - respondents are not being recruited as investors, and the question represents a considerable leap from cultural connection to financial commitment. That context makes the finding all the more striking: 484 respondents nonetheless rated their interest in investing in or supporting small Irish businesses at 4 or 5. Extrapolated across the full scale of the global Irish Diaspora, this level of latent investment appetite - even at a conservative estimate - could represent a substantial source of untapped capital for Irish small businesses. The Irish Department of Finance and relevant state agencies should take serious note: with the right policy frameworks, accessible investment vehicles, and transparent mechanisms - such as Diaspora investment funds, community bonds, or heritage-linked crowdfunding platforms - this goodwill could be converted into measurable and meaningful economic impact. The infrastructure to capture it does not yet exist at scale; building it should be treated as a matter of economic policy priority.