Back to Top

 Skip navigation

Society

1.1 Ireland: Population distribution by age group, 2007-20171
 %'000 persons
Year0-14 years15-24 years25-44 years45-64 years65 years and overTotal
200720.215.232.121.810.84,375.8
200820.414.932.121.810.84,485.1
200920.714.331.922.111.04,533.4
201021.013.531.722.411.34,554.8
201121.312.731.722.711.64,574.9
201221.512.331.222.912.04,593.7
201321.512.230.823.112.34,614.7
201421.512.230.323.312.74,645.4
201521.412.229.923.513.04,687.8
201621.212.129.623.813.34,739.6
201721.012.229.224.113.64,792.5
Source: CSO Population Estimates
1 Persons in April of each year. Data for 2017 is preliminary.

 

  • The population estimate for Ireland was 4.79 million in April 2017, based on the annual series of Population and Migration estimates produced by the CSO.
  • The proportion of the population aged 15-24 dropped from 15.2% in 2007 to 12.2% in 2017, partly due to the low number of births in the 1990's.
  • There was also a drop in the proportion of the population aged 25-44, from 32.1% in 2007 to 29.2% in 2017.
  • Conversely, the proportion of the population aged 65 and over increased from 10.8% to 13.6% over the time period 2007 to 2017 while the proportion aged 45-64 increased from 21.8% to 24.1%.
  • The proportion of the population of working age, i.e., those aged 15-64, has dropped from 69% to 65.4% in the ten years up to 2017.
1.2 EU: Population 2006 and 20161
 persons
Country20062016Change
EU 28496,436,597510,278,70113,842,104
Germany 82,437,99582,175,684-262,311
France63,229,63566,759,9503,530,315
United Kingdom60,620,36165,382,5564,762,195
Italy58,064,21460,665,5512,601,337
Spain44,009,97146,440,0992,430,128
Poland38,157,05537,967,209-189,846
Romania21,257,01619,760,314-1,496,702
Netherlands16,334,21016,979,120644,910
Belgium10,511,38211,311,117799,735
Greece11,004,71610,783,748-220,968
Czech Republic10,223,57710,553,843330,266
Portugal10,511,98810,341,330-170,658
Sweden9,047,7529,851,017803,265
Hungary10,076,5819,830,485-246,096
Austria8,254,2988,690,076435,778
Bulgaria7,629,3717,153,784-475,587
Denmark5,427,4595,707,251279,792
Finland5,255,5805,487,308231,728
Slovakia5,372,9285,426,25253,324
Ireland4,208,1564,724,720516,564
Croatia4,312,4874,190,669-121,818
Lithuania3,289,8352,888,558-401,277
Slovenia2,003,3582,064,18860,830
Latvia2,227,8741,968,957-258,917
Estonia1,350,7001,315,944-34,756
Cyprus744,013848,319104,306
Luxembourg469,086576,249107,163
Malta404,999434,40329,404
    
Turkey68,860,53978,741,0539,880,514
Switzerland7,459,1288,327,126867,998
Serbia7,425,4877,076,372-349,115
Norway4,640,2195,210,721570,502
Albania3,149,1432,886,026-263,117
Macedonia2,038,5142,071,27832,764
Montenegro613,109622,2189,109
Iceland299,891332,52932,638
Source: Eurostat
1 Population on the 1st January of the specific year.

 

  • Ireland had the third highest percentage increase in population between 2006 and 2016 in the EU, behind Luxembourg and Cyprus.
  • Eleven EU countries, including Germany, Greece and Poland, experienced population decline over the same time period.
  • Ireland's population was less than 1% of the total population in the EU in 2016.
% population change
Luxembourg22.8450646576534
Cyprus14.0193786936519
Ireland12.2753053831655
Sweden8.87806164448362
United Kingdom7.85576813044713
Belgium7.60827643786516
Malta7.2602648401601
France5.58332338942017
Spain5.52176687414768
Austria5.27940716460685
Denmark5.15511955041945
Italy4.48010370036181
Finland4.40918033785044
Netherlands3.9482166569427
Czech Republic3.23043490551301
Slovenia3.0364018812414
EU2.7882924191425
Slovakia0.99245699923766
Germany -0.318191872570409
Poland-0.497538397551907
Portugal-1.62346075737529
Greece-2.00793914172796
Hungary-2.44225695203562
Estonia-2.57318427482046
Croatia-2.82477373265125
Bulgaria-6.23363315271993
Romania-7.04097884670172
Latvia-11.6217075112865
Lithuania-12.1974810286838
Turkey14.3485864959611
Norway12.294721434484
Switzerland11.6367221476827
Iceland10.8832875944927
Macedonia1.60724920211487
Montenegro1.48570645676381
Serbia-4.70157714908127
Albania-8.35519377811678
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
Population
Germany 82175684
France66759950
United Kingdom65382556
Italy60665551
Spain46440099
Poland37967209
Romania19760314
Netherlands16979120
Belgium11311117
Greece10783748
Czech Republic10553843
Portugal10341330
Sweden9851017
Hungary9830485
Austria8690076
Bulgaria7153784
Denmark5707251
Finland5487308
Slovakia5426252
Ireland4724720
Croatia4190669
Lithuania2888558
Slovenia2064188
Latvia1968957
Estonia1315944
Cyprus848319
Luxembourg576249
Malta434403
Turkey78741053
Switzerland8327126
Serbia7076372
Norway5210721
Albania2886026
Macedonia2071278
Montenegro622218
Iceland332529
1.3 Ireland: Migration and natural increase, 2008-20171
'000 persons
YearInward migrationOutward migrationNet migration2BirthsDeathsNatural increasePopulation changeTotal population
2008113.549.264.373.028.044.9109.24,485.1
200973.772.01.675.328.646.748.34,533.4
201041.869.2-27.577.228.448.821.44,554.8
201153.380.6-27.475.127.747.520.14,574.9
201257.383.0-25.773.228.744.518.84,593.7
201362.781.3-18.769.429.839.621.04,614.7
201466.575.0-8.568.429.239.230.84,645.4
201575.970.05.966.429.936.542.34,687.8
201682.366.216.265.429.835.651.84,739.6
201784.664.819.863.930.833.152.94,792.5
Source: CSO Population and Migration Estimates
1 Data refers to the 12 months up to April of each year and is preliminary for 2017.
2 Net migration is the number of inward migrants (immigrants) less outward migrants (emigrants).

 

  • Annual immigration into Ireland fell sharply from 113,500 in 2008 to 41,800 in 2010. Since then, immigration has climbed steadily to reach 84,600 in 2017.
  • The level of annual emigration out of Ireland was 49,200 in 2008 and it increased strongly over the next four years to 83,000 in 2012 before falling to 64,800 in 2017.
  • The combined effect of these changes in immigration and emigration was that net migration turned from positive in the years before 2010 to negative in 2010, (i.e., more people left the country than arrived), and it remained negative up to 2014. However, in 2015 net migration turned positive again, when 5,900 more people entered the country than left, and climbed to 19,800 by 2017.
  • The number of births grew from 73,000 in 2008 to 77,200 in 2010 before falling to 63,900 in 2017.
  • The natural increase in the population, (i.e., births less deaths), increased from 44,900 in 2008 to 48,800 in 2010 before dropping to 33,100 in 2017.
  • The annual increase in the population was over 100,000 in 2008 but this fell sharply to just 18,800 in 2012 before increasing to 52,900 in 2017.
1.4 Ireland: Immigration and emigration by country of origin/destination, 2012-20171
'000 persons
Year201220132014201520162017
Immigrants:      
United Kingdom10.111.713.516.418.218.7
Rest of EU 15210.211.611.711.914.715.1
EU 13310.110.710.811.911.912.2
Australia5.46.05.45.86.97.1
Canada1.71.92.22.73.13.2
USA5.34.04.44.45.35.4
Rest of world14.516.718.622.822.222.8
Total persons57.362.766.575.982.384.6
       
Emigrants:      
United Kingdom18.120.016.416.614.412.1
Rest of EU 15213.710.514.813.313.912.9
EU 1339.213.08.05.99.39.7
Australia17.414.19.26.55.35.3
Canada2.84.94.36.63.43.7
USA8.25.76.35.15.76.5
Rest of world13.713.216.015.914.214.6
Total persons83.081.375.070.066.264.8
Source: CSO Population and Migration Estimates
1 The data is for the 12 months up to April of each year and is preliminary for 2017.
2 Rest of EU 15: Countries before enlargement on 1 May 2004, (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Portugal).
3 EU 13: Defined as the 10 countries who joined on 1 May 2004 (Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia), along with Bulgaria and Romania (joined 1 January 2007) and Croatia (joined 1 July 2013).

 

  • The number of people who migrated to live in Ireland rose from 57,300 in 2012 to 84,600 in 2017.
  • About 18,700 people moved to live in Ireland from the UK in 2017 while 15,100 moved here from the Rest of EU 15 countries, (those EU countries before enlargement from May 2004 onwards).
  • Nearly 23,000 immigrants came from countries in the Rest of world (i.e., countries other than the EU, Australia, Canada and the USA).
  • The number of emigrants leaving Ireland fell between 2012 and 2017, from 83,000 to 64,800.
  • In 2017 12,100 people emigrated to the UK while 12,900 went to Rest of EU 15 countries and 14,600 emigrated to the Rest of world.
UKRest of EU15EU13Rest of world
200819400145004550020000
200913400181001750013600
20109100780087007600
2011119009700980012900
201210100102001010014500
201311700116001070016700
201413500117001080018600
201516400119001190022800
201618200147001190022200
201718700151001220022800
1.5 EU: Young and old age dependency ratios, 20161
% of population aged 15-64
CountryYoung and old age dependency ratioYoung age dependency ratio (0-14)Old age dependency ratio (65 & over)
Slovakia42.421.820.6
Luxembourg44.323.820.5
Poland44.921.823.1
Cyprus46.124.022.1
Hungary48.721.627.2
Austria48.821.327.5
Romania49.023.125.9
Slovenia49.822.227.6
Malta49.921.428.6
Lithuania50.722.128.6
Czech Republic50.823.227.6
Croatia51.122.029.0
Spain51.222.928.3
Germany 52.220.232.0
Bulgaria52.421.331.1
Netherlands53.025.227.8
EU 2853.223.929.3
Portugal53.421.731.8
Latvia53.623.430.2
Estonia54.124.829.3
Ireland54.233.820.4
Belgium54.426.228.2
Denmark55.426.129.3
United Kingdom55.427.527.9
Italy55.521.234.3
Greece55.522.533.1
Finland58.225.832.4
Sweden59.227.831.5
France59.429.430.0
    
Macedonia42.123.718.5
Albania43.925.418.5
Turkey47.635.412.2
Montenegro47.927.120.8
Switzerland48.822.126.7
Serbia50.221.728.5
Iceland51.230.321.0
Norway52.327.325.0
Source: Eurostat
1 Data refers to 1st January.

 

  • Ireland had the highest young age dependency ratio in the EU in 2016, when the number of people aged under 15 as a percentage of those aged 15-64 was 33.8%.
  • Ireland had the lowest old age dependency ratio in the EU in 2016, when the number of people aged 65 and over as a percentage of those aged 15-64 was 20.4%.
  • This resulted in a combined young and old dependency ratio of 54.2 in Ireland in 2016, which was the ninth highest dependency ratio in the EU.
  • The highest dependency ratio in the EU in 2016 was in France at 59.4 while the lowest was in Slovakia at 42.4%.
1.6 EU: Total fertility rate1, 2005-2015 and proportion of live births outside marriage 2015
CountryTotal fertility rateProportion of live births outside marriage 2015
 200520102015
France1.942.031.9659.1
Ireland1.862.051.9236.5
Sweden1.771.981.8554.7
United Kingdom1.761.921.8047.9
Denmark1.801.871.7153.8
Belgium1.761.861.7049.4
Latvia1.391.361.7041.5
Lithuania1.291.501.7027.7
Netherlands1.711.791.6649.8
Finland1.801.871.6544.3
EU 281.511.621.5842.0
Estonia1.521.721.5857.9
Romania1.401.591.5831.0
Czech Republic1.291.511.5747.8
Slovenia1.261.571.5757.9
Bulgaria1.371.571.5358.6
Germany1.341.391.5035.0
Austria1.411.441.4942.1
Luxembourg1.631.631.4738.8
Hungary1.311.251.4547.9
Malta1.381.361.4526.9
Croatia1.501.551.4018.1
Slovakia1.271.431.4039.2
Italy1.341.461.3530.0
Greece1.341.481.338.8
Spain1.331.371.3344.5
Cyprus1.481.441.3216.6
Poland1.241.411.3224.6
Portugal1.411.391.3150.7
     
Turkey:2.042.142.8
Iceland2.052.201.8066.9
Montenegro1.691.701.7415.7
Norway1.841.951.7255.9
Albania1.61:1.67:
Switzerland1.421.521.5422.9
Macedonia1.461.561.5011.0
Serbia1.451.401.4625.5
Source: Eurostat
1 2014 data used for proportion of live births outside marriage for EU and Belgium, 2012 data used for Iceland and 2009 data used for Montenegro.

 

  • Ireland had the second highest fertility rate in the EU in 2015 at 1.92, behind France at 1.96.
  • The lowest fertility rate in 2015 was in Portugal at 1.31.
  • Mediterranean countries and some Eastern EU countries tended to have the lowest fertility rates.
  • The fertility rate in Ireland rose from 1.86 in 2005 to 2.05 in 2010 before dropping down to 1.92 in 2015. The average EU fertility rose from 1.51 in 2005 to 1.58 in 2015.
  • Over a third (36.5%) of all births were outside marriage in Ireland in 2015, which was the tenth lowest proportion in the EU. France had the highest proportion of births outside marriage at 59.1% while Greece had the lowest at 8.8%.
  • More than half of all births were outside marriage in France, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark and Portugal.
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
1.7 EU: Divorce rates, 2005, 2010 and 20151
divorces per 1,000 population
Country200520102015
Ireland0.80.70.6
Malta::0.9
Slovenia1.31.21.2
Greece1.21.21.3
Croatia1.11.21.4
Italy0.80.91.4
Bulgaria1.91.51.5
Romania1.61.61.6
United Kingdom2.62.11.7
Poland1.81.61.8
Slovakia2.22.21.8
EU 282.12.01.9
France2.52.11.9
Austria2.42.11.9
Germany2.42.32.0
Netherlands2.02.02.0
Spain1.72.22.1
Cyprus2.02.32.1
Hungary2.52.42.1
Belgium2.92.72.2
Portugal2.22.62.3
Luxembourg2.22.12.4
Czech Republic3.12.92.5
Finland2.62.52.5
Sweden2.22.52.5
Estonia3.02.22.6
Latvia2.82.42.6
Denmark2.82.62.9
Lithuania3.33.23.2
    
Montenegro0.80.80.9
Macedonia0.80.81.0
Albania1.3:1.3
Serbia1.00.91.3
Iceland1.91.81.6
Turkey1.41.61.7
Norway2.42.11.9
Switzerland2.92.82.1
  Source: Eurostat
1 For 2015 data, 2014 used for Greece, 2013 used for EU and Ireland and 2011 used for Iceland.

 

  • Ireland had the lowest divorce rate in the EU at 0.6 divorces per 1,000 population while the average rate in the EU was 1.9.
  • The highest rate of divorce was in Lithuania at 3.2 divorces per 1,000 population.
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
1.8 EU: At risk of poverty rates, 20161,2
% of population
CountryBefore pensions and social transfersAfter pensions and social transfersReduction
Czech Republic36.59.726.8
Finland43.711.632.1
Denmark40.211.928.3
Netherlands38.412.725.7
Slovakia37.912.725.2
France45.013.631.4
Slovenia41.213.927.3
Austria44.814.130.7
Hungary47.614.533.1
Belgium44.215.528.7
United Kingdom42.715.926.8
Cyprus38.316.122.2
Sweden45.016.228.8
Germany43.416.526.9
Luxembourg44.416.527.9
Malta37.916.521.4
Ireland44.616.628.0
EU 2844.517.327.2
Poland43.117.325.8
Portugal46.119.027.1
Croatia44.819.525.3
Italy46.520.625.9
Greece52.921.231.7
Estonia39.721.718.0
Latvia40.221.818.4
Lithuania42.021.920.1
Spain46.822.324.5
Bulgaria45.522.922.6
Romania49.525.324.2
    
Iceland32.59.622.9
Norway40.912.228.7
Switzerland38.014.723.3
Macedonia40.521.519.0
Turkey39.622.517.1
Serbia54.925.529.4
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).
2 2015 data used for Iceland, Macedonia and Turkey.

 

  • Ireland had the 12th highest proportion of the population at risk of poverty in the EU in 2016, before pensions and social transfers, at 44.6%
  • One person in six in Ireland in 2016 was at risk of poverty. This rate of 16.6% was just below the EU average rate of 17.3% and was the 12th highest in the EU.
  • The lowest at risk of poverty rate, (after pensions and social transfers), in 2016 in the EU was in the Czech Republic at 9.7%. Romania had the highest rate in the EU with one person in four at risk of poverty.
  • The at risk of poverty rate in Ireland, as calculated by Eurostat, dropped from 15.5% in 2008 to 15% in 2009 before rising to 16.6% in 2012. The rate then dropped to 15.7% in 2013 but increased in 2014 and has been around 16.4% for the years 2014 to 2016, (see graph).
Ireland
200815.5
200915
201015.2
201115.2
201216.6
201315.7
201416.4
201516.3
201616.6
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, 2014-2016
%
Age groupAt risk of poverty Consistent poverty
201420152016 201420152016
0-1720.319.519.3 12.711.511.1
18-6417.217.116.6 8.58.78.5
65+10.910.710.2 2.12.72.1
State17.216.916.5 8.88.78.3
Source: CSO SILC
1 Calculated using the national definition of income.

 

  • About one in six of the population in Ireland was at risk of poverty in 2016, with an at risk of poverty rate of 16.5%.
  • The at risk of poverty rate was highest for those aged under 18, with 19.3% 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 10.2%.
  • About one in twelve people in Ireland was in consistent poverty in 2016. 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).
  • About 11% of children were in consistent poverty in Ireland in 2016 while the rate for rate for those aged 65 and over was just 2.1%.
At risk of poverty rateConsistent poverty rate
0-1719.311.1
18-6416.68.5
65+10.22.1
State16.58.3
1.10 Ireland: At risk of poverty and consistent poverty rates by household composition1, 2014-2016
%
Household CompositionAt risk of poverty Consistent poverty
201420152016 201420152016
1 adult aged 65+14.714.713.0 2.73.83.8
1 adult aged < 6526.634.835.7 14.917.717.4
2 adults, at least 1 aged 65+11.09.610.4 1.92.41.7
2 adults, both aged <6511.011.713.1 5.05.55.8
3 or more adults15.514.111.9 4.14.74.5
1 adult with children aged under 1836.536.240.2 25.026.224.6
2 adults with 1-3 children aged under 1813.814.512.0 8.97.76.4
Other households with children aged under 1824.821.923.4 13.413.414.4
State17.216.916.5 8.88.78.3
Source: CSO SILC
1 Calculated using the national definition of income.

 

  • Just over 40% of Irish households composed of one adult with children aged under 18 were at risk of poverty in 2016. The consistent poverty rate for these households was 24.6%.
  • Single person households where the person was aged under 65 also had a high rate of at risk of poverty at 35.7% and consistent poverty of 17.4%.
  • The lowest at risk of poverty rate of 10.4% 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 1.7%.
1.11 Ireland: At risk of poverty and consistent poverty rates by principal economic status1, 2014-2016
%
Principal Economic StatusAt risk of poverty Consistent poverty
201420152016 201420152016
At work6.05.85.6 2.62.11.9
Unemployed38.043.541.9 24.226.225.2
Student35.132.030.3 13.616.815.1
Home duties26.424.925.7 13.212.512.3
Retired11.412.711.8 2.53.22.3
Not at work due to illness or disability25.234.839.1 14.422.426.3
State17.216.916.5 8.88.78.3
Source: CSO SILC
1 Calculated using the national definition of income.

 

  • The group of people most at risk of poverty in 2016 were unemployed persons, with 41.9% 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 (39.1%) and students (30.3%).
  • The lowest at risk of poverty rate was among individuals who were at work who had a rate of just 5.6%.
At risk of poverty rate Consistent poverty rate
At work5.61.9
Unemployed41.925.2
Student30.315.1
Home duties25.712.3
Retired11.82.3
Not at work due to illness or disability39.126.3
1.12 EU: Gender pay gap, 2013-20151
% Gender pay gap
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 Kingdom20.520.920.8
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. The average EU gender pay gap in 2015 was 16.3% with the gender pay gap defined as the difference between male and female gross hourly earnings as a % of average gross hourly male earnings.
  • 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, 2012-2016
% of GNI
Country20122013201420152016
Luxembourg1.001.001.060.951.00
Sweden0.971.011.091.410.94
Denmark0.830.850.860.850.75
Germany0.370.380.420.520.70
United Kingdom0.560.710.700.700.70
Netherlands0.710.670.640.750.65
Belgium0.480.450.460.420.49
Finland0.530.540.590.550.44
Austria0.280.270.280.350.41
Ireland (% of GNI*)0.470.450.400.370.38
France0.450.410.370.370.38
Spain0.160.170.130.120.33
Ireland (% of GNI)0.440.420.370.310.32
Italy0.140.170.190.220.26
Malta0.230.200.200.170.20
Estonia0.110.130.150.150.19
Slovenia0.130.130.130.150.18
Portugal0.280.230.190.160.17
Czech Republic0.120.110.110.120.14
Greece0.130.100.110.120.14
Lithuania0.130.110.100.120.14
Poland0.090.100.090.100.13
Hungary0.100.100.110.130.13
Slovakia0.090.090.090.100.12
Romania0.090.070.110.090.11
Latvia0.080.080.080.090.10
Bulgaria0.080.100.090.09:
Cyprus0.110.100.090.09:
      
Norway0.931.081.001.051.11
Turkey0.320.400.450.500.79
Switzerland0.470.460.510.510.54
Iceland0.200.230.220.240.25
Source: OECD Development Co-operation report

 

  • Net official development assistance in Ireland was 0.32% of Gross National Income (GNI) in 2016, the twelfth highest of the 27 EU countries for which data was available.
  • When the Irish contribution is calculated as a % of Modified GNI (or GNI*), Ireland was the tenth highest contributing country in the EU.
  • In 2016 the Irish contribution was below the UN 2007 target of 0.7% of GNI.
  • Five EU countries (Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom) plus Norway and Turkey met or exceeded the UN target in 2016.
Ireland net ODA as % of GNIIreland net ODA as % of GNI*UN target 0.7% of GNI
20070.5107678232106410.5166001316858760.7
20080.566274471212690.5741098709234890.7
20090.5078976609420930.5215118210308920.7
20100.4813698883831580.5095416537861250.7
20110.4706253133729680.5003503000395990.7
20120.4385573422964810.4726439200360740.7
20130.4158806211772080.445508898290270.7
20140.3706968275595960.3980784295952920.7
20150.312477682233610.3745762907946640.7
20160.3177762555874630.3825853893203220.7
1.14 EU: Private households with Internet access1, 2012-2016
% of households
Country20122013201420152016
Luxembourg9394969797
Netherlands9495969697
Denmark9293939294
Sweden9293909194
United Kingdom8788909193
Germany8588899092
Finland8789909092
Ireland8182828587
Estonia7479838886
France8082838386
EU 287679818385
Belgium7880838285
Austria7981818285
Czech Republic6573787982
Spain6770747982
Malta7779818282
Slovakia7578787981
Poland7072757680
Italy6369737579
Hungary6770737679
Slovenia7476777878
Croatia6665687777
Latvia6972737677
Cyprus6265697174
Portugal6162657074
Lithuania6065666872
Romania5458616872
Greece5456666869
Bulgaria5154575964
      
Norway9394939797
Turkey4749607076
Macedonia5865686975
Iceland959696::
Switzerland::91::
Montenegro55::::
Serbia:::64:
Source: Eurostat
1 This table measures all means a household may have of accessing the Internet.

 

  • More than five out of six private households (87%) in Ireland had internet access in 2016, compared to 81% in 2012.
  • Ireland had the eighth highest rate of internet access for households in the EU in 2016, just above the EU average of 85%.
  • Two countries - Luxembourg and the Netherlands - had household internet access rates of more than 95% in 2016.
  • The lowest rate of household internet access was in Bulgaria at 64%.

 

Go to next chapter >>> Economy