Households were asked to rate their self-perceived level of difficulty in making ends meet, with the answer options being: ‘with great difficulty’; ‘with difficulty’; ‘with some difficulty’; ‘fairly easily’; ‘easily’; ‘very easily’.
Almost half of households (46.2%) said they had at least some difficulty in making ends meet in 2024, down slightly from 47.8% in 2023 and 50.4% in 2022. In 2021, 41.8% of households reported having at least some difficulty in making ends meet. The percentage of households reporting great difficulty in making ends meet rose from 5.5% in 2022 to 6.4% in 2023 and dropped to 5.6% in 2024. See figure 4.1 and table 4.1a.
| X-axis label | Very easily | Easily | Fairly easily | With some difficulty | With difficulty | With great difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7.2 | 14.6 | 32.1 | 30.8 | 9.8 | 5.6 |
| 2023 | 7.5 | 13 | 31.7 | 31 | 10.4 | 6.4 |
| 2022 | 7.3 | 12 | 30.3 | 32.8 | 12.1 | 5.5 |
| 2021 | 9.4 | 14.5 | 34.3 | 27.2 | 8.9 | 5.7 |
Analysis by household composition shows that in 2024, over seven in ten (73.0%) single-adult households with children under 18 years experienced at least some level of difficulty in making ends meet, with 21.5% reporting that they had great difficulty in making ends meet. In comparison three in ten (30.9%) households composed of two adults, with at least one aged 65 years and over experienced at least some level of difficulty in making ends meet in 2024, with 1.1% reporting great difficulty. See figure 4.2 and table 4.1a.
| X-axis label | With some difficulty | With difficulty | With great difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 adult aged 65 years and over | 33.3 | 8.7 | 4.2 |
| 1 adult aged less than 65 years | 30.1 | 10.7 | 9.2 |
| 2 adults, at least 1 aged 65 years and over | 24.3 | 5.5 | 1.1 |
| 2 adults, both aged less than 65 years | 32.4 | 5 | 3 |
| 3 or more adults | 27.3 | 6.4 | 3.9 |
| 1 adult, with children under 18 years | 29.5 | 22 | 21.5 |
| 2 adults, with 1-3 children under 18 years | 35.4 | 11.9 | 5.8 |
| Other households with children under 18 years | 32 | 18.6 | 8.1 |
Analysis by tenure status shows that in 2024 more than six in ten (62.8%) rented or rent-free households had at least some level of difficulty in making ends meet, compared with four in ten (38.5%) owner-occupied households. In 2022, one in ten (9.6%) rented or rent-free households had great difficulty in making ends meet. This rate went up to 14.2% in 2023 but dropped to 10.7% in 2024. The percentage of owner-occupied households that experienced great difficulty in making ends meet in 2024 was 3.2%, relatively unchanged from the 2022 and 2023 rates of 3.6% and 2.8% respectively. See figure 4.3 and table 4.1a.
| X-axis label | Very easily | Easily | Fairly easily | With some difficulty | With difficulty | With great difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rented or rent-free | 2.3 | 12 | 22.9 | 37.9 | 14.2 | 10.7 |
| Owner-occupied | 9.4 | 15.7 | 36.4 | 27.5 | 7.8 | 3.2 |
In 2024, of households experiencing enforced deprivation, nine in ten (91.1%) had at least some difficulty in making ends meet, with 27.5% having great difficulty. Less than four in ten (37.9%) households not experiencing enforced deprivation had at least some difficulty in making ends meet, with 1.6% having great difficulty. See figure 4.4 and table 4.1a.
| X-axis label | Very easily | Easily | Fairly easily | With some difficulty | With difficulty | With great difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experiencing deprivation | 0.5 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 36 | 27.6 | 27.5 |
| Not experiencing deprivation | 8.4 | 16.6 | 37.2 | 29.8 | 6.5 | 1.6 |
In the SILC survey households were asked if they were not to receive any income (such as wages, pension or social welfare payments), how long they would be able to maintain the same standard of living using savings. The answer options to this question were ‘less than three months’; ’ three months or more but less than six’; ‘six months or more but less than 12 months; ‘12 months or more’.
In 2024, under half of households (48.2%) could maintain the same standard of living for less than three months and 16.6% could maintain the same standard of living for 12 months or more. See figure 4.5.
| X-axis label | 12 months or more | 6 months or more but less than 12 | 3 months or more but less than 6 | Less than 3 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 16.6 | 14.2 | 20.9 | 48.2 |
| 2023 | 15.2 | 13.3 | 22.5 | 49 |
| 2022 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 21.9 | 50 |
| 2021 | 15.8 | 16.9 | 21.9 | 45.5 |
Analysis by household composition shows that 14.8% of single-adult households with children could maintain the same standard of living for at least three months if they were to lose their income sources. Overall households with children were less likely to have savings that could sustain the same standard of living in the event of losing income.
Two-adult households where at least one was aged 65 or over were most likely to have savings that could maintain the same standard of living with seven in ten (69.8%) of this group being able to sustain the same standard of living for three months or longer. See figure 4.6 and table 4.2a.
| X-axis label | 3 months or more | Less than 3 months |
|---|---|---|
| Other households with children under 18 years | 37.2 | 62.9 |
| 2 adults, with 1-3 children under 18 years | 44.8 | 55.1 |
| 1 adult, with children under 18 years | 14.8 | 85.2 |
| 3 or more adults | 62.7 | 37.3 |
| 2 adults, both aged less than 65 years | 56.7 | 43.3 |
| 2 adults, at least 1 aged 65 years and over | 69.8 | 30.3 |
| 1 adult aged less than 65 years | 46.1 | 53.8 |
| 1 adult aged 65 years and over | 54.8 | 45.2 |
Two in three (67.1%) rented or rent-free households and 39.3% of owner-occupied households could maintain the same standard of living for less than three months if they lost all income sources. One in five (21.6%) of owner-occupied households could maintain the same standard of living for at least one year. The comparable rate for rented households was 6.0%. See figure 4.7 and table 4.2.
| X-axis label | 12 months or more | 6 months or more but less than 12 | 3 months or more but less than 6 | Less than 3 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rented or rent-free | 6 | 10.1 | 16.7 | 67.1 |
| Owner-occupied | 21.6 | 16.2 | 22.9 | 39.3 |
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