Over 7,000 signed on Live Register in Louth in January

Latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that 7,107 people signed on the Live Register in Louth in January, just over 100 more than the 7,004 who signed on in the county a year earlier.

The latest release from the CSO shows that 3,175 people signed on in Dundalk in January 2026, up from 3,124 in December 2025, but down from the 3,215 who signed on in the town in January 2025.

In Ardee, 691 people signed on in the town in January 2026. This is down from 721 in December, but it is up from 676 in January 2025.

3,241 people also signed on in Drogheda in January 2026. This is down from the 3,265 who signed on the town in December 2025, but it is up on the 3,113 who signed on a year earlier in January 2025.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted Live Register total for January 2026 was 171,300 people, down by 1,200 people from December 2025.

Read also: 'Nothing but bluster from the government on cost of living' - Louth's Ó Murchú

The unadjusted Live Register total stood at 170,674 people for January 2026, of which 56.7% were male and 71.1% were Irish. This is an increase of 5,439 people or 3.3% when compared with January 2025.

The 25-34 years age group made up the largest number of those on the Live Register in January 2026 at 41,139 people or 24.1% of the total.

The counties that recorded the largest percentage increases in the number of people on the Live Register in the 12 months to January 2026 were Dublin (+10.1%) and Wicklow (+6.9%), while the largest decreases were in Donegal (-4.0%) and Monaghan (-3.7%).

In January 2026, there were 117,474 people on the Live Register for less than one year, which was 9,101 more people (+8.4%) than in January 2025.