Press Release Sustainable Development Indicators Ireland 2015

Date Published: Tue, 03 Mar 2015

Europe has 20 years longer life expectancy than Africa

• The World population is estimated to reach 7.3 billion persons in 2015 and this is forecast to increase by 10% to 8.1 billion persons in 2025.

• In 2010, men in Africa had a life expectancy of 54 years and women had 57 years. This is around 20 years less than people in Europe.

• In Ireland, corporation tax as a percentage of tax revenue increased from 10% in 1995 to 15% in 2006. It has since fallen to 11% in 2014.

• General government debt in Ireland fell from 80% of GDP in 1995 to 24% in 2006 before increasing to 123% of GDP in 2013.

• Ireland received a net €1.5 billion from the EU in 2000, and by 2013 this had fallen to €143 million. In 2013, Germany’s net contribution was almost €16 billion while Poland’s net receipts were almost €12 billion.

• In 2012, persons earning under €20,000 accounted for 9% of total taxable income and paid 0.6% of total income tax. Those earning over €100,000 accounted for 23% of total taxable income and paid 44% of total income tax.

• Public sector wages increased from 33% of general government current expenditure in 2000 to 36% in 2005 before decreasing to 29% in 2013. Social welfare payments have increased from 25% of general government current expenditure in 2000 to 32% in 2013. 

• In the EU, Ireland had the highest level of completions of residential units per 1,000 persons in 2007 with a rate of 17.8. Spain had the next highest rate at 15.3. In 2014 the rates had fallen to 1.6 in Ireland and 1.0 in Spain. In contrast, the rate in Germany has been much steadier at around two completions per 1,000 persons during the 2007-2014 period.

• The employment rate for 20 to 64 year olds increased from 61% in 1995 to 74% in 2007. This has fallen to 67% in 2014. 

• Ireland had the second lowest rate of tobacco consumption in the EU among males aged 15 and over in 2012 at 22%. The rate for females, 18% ranked as the fourth lowest consumption level in the EU.

• The ‘at risk of poverty’ rate in Ireland in 2013 was 15.2%, which was the twelfth lowest in the EU, and below the EU average of 17%.

• Ireland’s imported energy dependency increased from 69% in 1990 to 89% in 2013. Our import dependency on oil decreased from 66% of total fuel imports in 2005 to 55% in 2013. Our import dependency on gas increased from 20% to 30% over the same period.

• The recovery rate of packaging waste increased from 25% in 2001 to 87% in 2012. The amount of municipal waste sent to landfill decreased from two million tonnes in 2001 to just over one million tonnes in 2012.

Editor’s note:

Sustainable Development Indicators Ireland 2015 (PDF 2,818KB)  is available on the CSO web site.

The report may be purchased from:

The Central Statistics Office, Information Section, Skehard Road, Cork

Price: €5

– ENDS –