 However, by far the greater cause of population decline was the dire economic state of the country which led to an entrenched culture of emigration lasting until the 21st century.Emigration from Ireland in the 19th century contributed to the populations of England, the United States, Canada and Australia, in all of which a large [[Irish diaspora]] lives., 4.3 million Canadians, or 14% of the population, are of Irish descent, while around one-third of the Australian population has an element of Irish descent.