Statistical Yearbook of Ireland 2007
The Statistical Yearbook of Ireland 2007 is being published today by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The Yearbook presents a comprehensive picture of Ireland today. It provides detailed information, tables and graphs across a wide range of topics. These include the population, labour force, education, crime, the economy, agriculture, industry,
services, prices, housing, knowledge economy and the environment.
People
- The population enumerated on census night 23 April 2006 was 4,239,848 persons, compared with 3,917,203 in April 2002, representing an increase of 8.2% in four years.
- The death rate continues to fall steadily. The number of deaths per thousand population in 2006 was 6.5.
- The most popular babies' names in 2006 were Sean and Sarah.
- In 2005, almost 19% of the population were at-risk-of-poverty, while 7% were considered to be in consistent poverty.
Work
- From 1986 to 2006 the number of persons in employment increased from almost 1.1 million to over 2 million.
- The numbers unemployed fell from 225,400 to 91,400 over the same 20 year period.
- In 2006 there were over 7,352 days lost due to 10 industrial disputes.
QNHS Special Topics
- The pension coverage rate for all persons in employment aged between 20 and 69 in the fourth quarter of 2005 was 55%. Male workers (58.3%) continued to have a higher pension coverage rate than their female counterparts (50.6%).
- SSIA account holders indicated that they would spend just under one third of their matured SSIA funds on consumer items including Home improvements, Foreign holidays, Cars and Other purchases.
- The average cost of paid childcare per household in the first quarter of 2005 was just over €120 per week.
- Almost 1.3 million households (88.7%) reported that they recycled some element of their household waste in the third quarter of 2005.
Education
- In 2006, almost a quarter of those aged 15-64 had a third level qualification.
- 60% of new entrants to HEA institutions and 54% of new entrants of all third level institutions were female in 2005/2006.
- At age 19, 62% of females and 45% of males were in full time education in 2005/2006.
Crime
- There were 103,924 headline offences in 2006, up from 102,258 in 2005.
- There were 17,868 drink driving detections in 2006. This represented a rise of almost 34% on the 2005 figures.
- 14.6% of households in urban areas were victims of a crime compared with 6.3% of households in rural areas.
Economy
- National Debt as a percentage of GDP has fallen from 87.7% in 1990 to 20.4% in 2006.
- Lending by credit institutions to the personal (private households) sector has more than trebled from €39bn in 2000 to €134bn in 2006.
- The General Government Balance was a surplus of €5,031m in 2006 compared with a surplus of €1,627m in 2005.
Tourism/Transport
- Overseas visits to Ireland increased by over 10% since 2005 while visits abroad by Irish residents increased by 12%.
- Domestic trips by Irish Residents show a 2% increase since 2005 with a resultant increase in Expenditure of 20%.
- New private cars licensed for the first time in 2006 increased by 4.2% on the figures for 2005.
- Driving tests conducted in 2005 totalled 137,500, an overall pass rate of 54% was achieved.
Housing
- The value of total construction output at current prices more than doubled between 2000 and 2006.
- The average price of new houses for which loans were approved in 2006 was €305,637 for the State and €405,957 in Dublin.
- The number of planning permissions granted for new houses decreased by 19% from 2000 to 2006. The number of planning permissions granted for new apartments increased by nearly 8% in the same period.
- One-person households are the fastest growing ownership group, up 51,877 or 18.7% since 2002.
Knowledge Economy
- Almost half (48.7%) of Irish households connected to the internet with home computers in February 2006. Only 13% of all households had a broadband connection.
- There were 103 mobile phones for every 100 people in the country in the second quarter of 2006.
The CSO wishes to thank all the departments, agencies and individuals who have helped in supplying data for the Yearbook, including those in Northern Ireland who have provided material for the Appendix.
The full text of these results is available free of charge on the CSO website at:
http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/statistical_yearbook_ireland_2007.htm
The Yearbook 2007 may be purchased from:
The Central Statistics Office, Information Section, Skehard Road, Cork
Government Publications Sales Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2
or through any bookseller
For further information, contact: Eamonn Dorney (021 - 4535036) Fax 021 4535555
e-mail: information@cso.ie
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