Back to Top

 Skip navigation

Society - Social cohesion

1.8 EU: At risk of poverty rates, 20141
 
% of population
CountryBefore pensions and social transfersAfter pensions and social transfersReduction
Czech Republic37.19.727.4
Netherlands37.811.626.2
Denmark41.512.129.4
Slovakia38.012.625.4
Finland43.312.830.5
France44.413.331.1
Austria43.814.129.7
Cyprus36.514.422.1
Slovenia42.514.528.0
Hungary50.115.035.1
Sweden44.015.128.9
Belgium43.115.527.6
Ireland48.815.633.2
Malta37.815.921.9
Luxembourg44.816.428.4
Germany44.016.727.3
United Kingdom43.416.826.6
Poland43.717.026.7
EU 2844.617.227.4
Lithuania43.519.124.4
Croatia45.219.425.8
Italy45.819.426.4
Portugal47.819.528.3
Latvia41.721.220.5
Estonia40.921.819.1
Bulgaria46.221.824.4
Greece52.222.130.1
Spain47.522.225.3
Romania48.625.423.2
    
Iceland32.47.924.5
Norway38.210.927.3
Switzerland37.013.823.2
Macedonia41.722.119.6
Serbia52.525.427.1
Source:Eurostat, EU SILC
1 Data in this table are obtained from the EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU SILC). Rates are calculated using a Eurostat definition of income and modified OECD equivalence scale (see Appendix 1).
  • Ireland had the third highest percentage of population in the EU in 2014 at risk of poverty, before pensions and social transfers, at 48.8%.
  • However the at risk of poverty rate in Ireland, (after pensions and social transfers), of 15.6% was the thirteenth lowest rate in the EU.
  • The lowest at risk of poverty rate (after pensions and social transfers) in 2014 in the EU was in the Czech Republic at 9.7% while the highest rate was in Romania at 25.4%.
  • The at risk of poverty rate in Ireland, as calculated by Eurostat, declined from 18.5% in 2006 to 15% by 2009 before rising to 15.7% in 2012. In 2013 the rate dropped to 14.1% before increasing to 15.6% in 2014.
Ireland
200618.5
200717.2
200815.5
200915
201015.2
201115.2
201215.7
201314.1
201415.6
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
1.9 Ireland: At risk of poverty and consistent poverty rates by age group1, 2013-2015
 
%
Age groupAt risk of poverty Consistent poverty
201320142015 201320142015
0-1719.620.319.5 12.812.711.5
18-6416.617.217.1 8.98.58.7
65+9.810.910.7 2.32.12.7
State16.517.216.9 9.18.88.7
Source: CSO SILC
1 Calculated using the national definition of income.
  • The at risk of poverty rate in Ireland was 16.9% in 2015, with just over one in six of the population at risk of poverty.
  • The at risk of poverty rate was highest for those aged under 18, with 19.5% of this age group at risk of poverty. People aged 65 and over had an at risk of poverty rate of just over half this rate, at 10.7%.
  • The consistent poverty rate was 8.7% in 2015. An individual is considered to be in consistent poverty when they are at risk of poverty and are also experiencing enforced deprivation, (see Appendix 1).
  • Just under one in eight children (11.5%) were in consistent poverty in Ireland in 2015 while the rate for those aged 65 and over was 2.7%.
At risk of poverty rateConsistent poverty rate
0-1719.511.5
18-6417.18.7
65+10.72.7
State16.98.7
1.10 Ireland: At risk of poverty and consistent poverty rates by household composition1, 2013-2015
 
%
Household CompositionAt risk of poverty Consistent poverty
201320142015 201320142015
1 adult aged 65+13.614.714.7 3.82.73.8
1 adult aged < 6529.626.634.8 15.914.917.7
2 adults, at least 1 aged 65+9.211.09.6 1.81.92.4
2 adults, both aged <6512.511.011.7 5.05.05.5
3 or more adults11.815.514.1 5.04.14.7
1 adult with children aged under 1835.036.536.2 26.225.026.2
2 adults with 1-3 children aged under 1812.413.814.5 7.58.97.7
Other households with children aged under 1826.124.821.9 15.513.413.4
State16.517.216.9 9.18.88.7
Source: CSO SILC
1 Calculated using the national definition of income.
  • More than a third (36.2%) of Irish households composed of one adult with children aged under 18 were at risk of poverty in 2015. The consistent poverty rate for these households was 26.2%.
  • Single person households where the person was aged under 65 also had a high rate of at risk of poverty (34.8%) and consistent poverty (17.7%).
  • Other households with children aged under 18 had an at risk of poverty rate of 21.9% while the consistent poverty rate for these households was 13.4%.
  • The lowest at risk of poverty rate of 9.6% was in households with two adults, at least one of whom was aged 65 or over. These households also had the lowest consistent poverty rate of 2.4%.
1.11 Ireland: At risk of poverty and consistent poverty rates by principal economic status1, 2013-2015
 
%
Principal Economic StatusAt risk of poverty Consistent poverty
201320142015 201320142015
At work5.36.05.8 2.12.62.1
Unemployed39.838.043.5 25.924.226.2
Student28.935.132.0 15.313.616.8
Home duties23.126.424.9 11.413.212.5
Retired11.011.412.7 2.22.53.2
Not at work due to illness or disability22.125.234.8 14.114.422.4
State16.517.216.9 9.18.88.7
Source: CSO SILC
1Calculated using the national definition of income.
  • Unemployed persons were most at risk of poverty in 2015, with 43.5% of these individuals at risk of poverty.
  • There were also high rates of poverty among people who were not at work due to illness or disability (34.8%) and students (32%).
  • The lowest at risk of poverty rate was among individuals who were at work, with a rate of 5.8%.
At risk of poverty rateConsistent poverty rate
At work5.82.1
Unemployed43.526.2
Student3216.8
Home duties24.912.5
Retired12.73.2
Not at work due to ilness or disability34.822.4
1.12 EU: Gender pay gap, 2013-20151
 
Difference between male and female gross hourly earnings as % of average gross hourly male earnings
Country201320142015
Romania4.94.55.8
Luxembourg6.25.45.5
Slovenia6.37.08.1
Italy7.06.15.5
Poland7.17.77.7
Belgium7.56.66.5
Croatia9.010.4:
Malta9.710.6:
Lithuania12.213.314.2
Ireland12.913.9:
Portugal13.314.917.8
Bulgaria14.114.215.4
Sweden14.613.814.0
Cyprus14.914.214.0
Greece15.0::
France15.515.515.8
Latvia16.017.317.0
Denmark16.516.015.1
Netherlands16.516.116.1
EU 2816.816.716.3
Spain17.814.914.9
Hungary18.415.114.0
Slovakia18.819.719.6
Finland18.818.417.3
United Kingdom20.520.917.9
Germany22.122.322.0
Czech Republic22.322.522.5
Austria22.322.221.7
Estonia29.828.126.9
    
Norway15.514.514.9
Iceland19.016.717.5
Switzerland19.3:17.7
Macedonia:9.1:
Source: Eurostat, EU SES
1 2010 data used for Greece
  • Female employees were paid 13.9% an hour less than male employees in Ireland in 2014. This gave Ireland the tenth lowest gender pay gap in the EU in 2015, when the average EU gender pay gap was 16.3%.
  • The lowest gender pay gap in the EU in 2015 was in Romania at 5.8% while the highest was in Estonia at 26.9%.
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
1.13 EU: Net official development assistance, 2010-2014
 
% of GNI
Country20102011201220132014
Sweden0.971.020.971.011.09
Luxembourg1.050.971.001.001.06
Denmark0.910.850.830.850.86
United Kingdom0.570.560.560.710.70
Netherlands0.820.750.710.670.64
Finland0.550.530.530.540.60
Belgium0.640.540.480.450.46
Germany0.390.390.370.380.42
Ireland0.480.470.440.420.37
France0.500.460.450.410.37
Austria0.320.270.280.270.28
Italy0.150.200.140.170.19
Portugal0.290.310.280.230.19
Slovenia0.130.130.130.130.13
Spain0.430.290.160.170.13
Czech Republic0.130.130.120.110.11
Greece0.170.150.130.100.11
Poland0.080.080.090.100.09
Slovak Republic0.090.090.090.090.09
      
Norway1.050.960.931.071.00
Switzerland0.390.460.470.460.51
Iceland0.290.210.220.250.22
Source: OECD Development Co-operation report
  • Net official development assistance in Ireland was 0.37% of Gross National Income (GNI) in 2014, and was the ninth highest in the EU.
  • In 2014 the Irish contribution was below the UN 2007 target of 0.7%.
  • Four EU countries (Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark and the United Kingdom) and Norway met or exceeded the UN target in 2014.
  • Net official development assistance in Ireland increased from 0.5% of GNI in 2006 to 0.57% in 2008 before falling to 0.32% in 2015, (see graph).
Ireland net ODA as % of GNIUN target (0.7% of GNI)
20060.5015218168151520.7
20070.5104923798358730.7
20080.5665148904750180.7
20090.5093052940388290.7
20100.4829488608752820.7
20110.4668433505517230.7
20120.4379739959468780.7
20130.4161278102180250.7
20140.3738023442439570.7
20150.317584336344820.7
1.14 EU: Private households with Internet access1, 2011-2015
 
% of households
Country20112012201320142015
Luxembourg9193949697
Netherlands9494959696
Denmark9092939392
Sweden9192939091
United Kingdom8387889091
Germany8385888990
Finland8487899090
Estonia6974798388
Ireland7881828285
EU 287376798183
France7680828383
Belgium7778808382
Malta7577798182
Austria7579818182
Czech Republic6765737879
Spain6367707479
Slovakia7175787879
Slovenia7374767778
Croatia6166656877
Latvia6469727376
Hungary6367707376
Poland6770727576
Italy6263697375
Cyprus5762656971
Portugal5861626570
Greece5054566668
Lithuania6060656668
Romania4754586168
Bulgaria4551545759
      
Norway9293949397
Macedonia:58656869
Iceland93959696:
Switzerland:::91:
Montenegro:55:::
Source: Eurostat
1 This table measures all means a household may have of accessing the Internet.
  • More than five out of six private households (85%) in Ireland had internet access in 2015, compared to 78% in 2011.
  • Ireland had the ninth highest rate of internet access for households in the EU in 2015, just above the EU average rate of 83%.
  • Seven countries - Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany and Finland had household internet access rates of 90% of more in 2015.
  • The lowest rate of household internet access was in Bulgaria at 59%.

Go to next sub-theme >>> Society - Crime