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Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC): Enforced Deprivation 2024

Enforced Deprivation

Enforced deprivation went down from 17.3% in 2023 to 15.7% in 2024

CSO statistical release, 10 December 2024, 11am

Enforced Deprivation

Enforced deprivation is defined as occurring where a household experiences two or more of the 11 national deprivation items discussed in the previous chapter. Survey on Income and Living Conditions Fact Sheet (PDF 494KB) .

SILC data collection occurs during the first six months of the survey year. Taking the mid-point (March) of SILC data collection for survey years 2021 to 2024, prices on average, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose by

0.0% between March 2020 and March 2021
6.7% between March 2021 and March 2022
7.6% between March 2022 and March 2023
2.9% between March 2023 and March 2024

The changes seen in enforced deprivation rates (as measured by the SILC survey) over the four-year period 2021 to 2024 reflect the average price changes over this period. The proportion of persons living in households experiencing enforced deprivation increased from 13.7% in 2021 to 16.6% in 2022. The rate increased further to 17.3% in 2023 and dropped to 15.7% in 2024. See table 3.1.

In 2024, 28.1% of people were living in households that experienced at least one of the 11 deprivation items, down from 30.1% in 2023. In 2021, before households began to experience the impact of price increases, less than one in four (24.8%) people experienced at least one of the 11 deprivation items. See figure 3.1 and table 3.2.

15.7%

of people

were experiencing enforced deprivation in 2024

down from 17.3% in 2023

Source: CSO Ireland, Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC): Enforced Deprivation 2024

Of persons that were living in enforced deprivation in 2024, the most commonly experienced deprivation items were:

Being unable to afford to replace any worn out furniture (72.5%).
Being unable to afford a morning, afternoon or evening out in last fortnight (58.2%).
Being unable to get-together with family or friends for a drink or a meal once a month (52.1%). See table 3.3.

X-axis label	2+ items of deprivation experienced	1 item of deprivation experienced	0 (No deprivation)
2024	15.7	12.4	71.9
2023	17.3	12.7	70
2022	16.6	10.8	72.6
2021	13.7	11.1	75.2

Table 3.1 Enforced deprivation rate by demographic characteristics and year (% of individuals)

Table 3.1 Enforced deprivation¹rate by demographic characteristics and year²(% of individuals)
		Deprivation rate
		2022	2023	2024
State		16.6	17.3	15.7
Sex
	Male	15.2	16.0	14.3
	Female	17.9	18.7	17.0
Age group
	0-17	18.8	21.4	21.2
	18-34	18.3	19.3	15.8
	35-49	17.3	16.5	16.4
	50-64	13.7	16.2	14.2
	65+	12.7	10.7	7.7
Principal economic status (aged 16 years and over)
	Employed	11.7	12.3	11.6
	Unemployed	46.6	37.8	37.8
	Retired	12.2	9.6	6.9
	Unable to work due to long-standing health problems	40.3	44.7	38.5
	Student, pupil	17.8	21.6	17.0
	Fulfilling domestic tasks	21.2	24.8	23.0
Highest education level attained (aged 16 years and over)
	Primary or below	25.6	27.1	22.2
	Lower secondary	21.7	24.0	18.7
	Higher secondary	18.7	19.2	15.2
	Post leaving cert	19.5	17.5	16.5
	Third level non degree	16.7	14.4	13.4
	Third level degree or above	7.7	7.9	9.3
Household composition
	1 adult aged 65+	17.2	20.0	11.7
	1 adult aged <65	23.9	25.7	22.7
	2 adults, at least 1 aged 65+	9.0	7.2	6.9
	2 adults, both aged <65	16.0	12.4	17.6
	3 or more adults	11.7	12.8	7.9
	1 adult with children aged under 18	45.4	41.4	46.3
	2 adults with 1-3 children aged under 18	17.4	17.7	16.2
	Other households with children aged under 18	16.5	22.0	19.8
Household type
	One person household	21.8	23.2	17.6
	Lone parent with at least one child aged less than 25	44.5	45.6	44.5
	Lone parent with all children aged 25 or more	17.3	18.6	17.3
	Couple without any child(ren)	10.2	7.3	9.0
	Couple with at least one child aged less than 25	14.0	14.6	14.8
	Couple with all children aged 25 or more	7.3	3.9	4.1
	Other type of household	17.4	22.0	13.5
Number of persons at work in the household
	0	31.6	29.2	26.8
	1	23.0	21.8	21.9
	2	9.1	11.6	10.8
	3+	7.2	11.0	6.5
Tenure status
	Owner-occupied	9.9	8.8	8.7
	Rented or rent free	32.4	36.5	31.5
Urban/rural location
	Urban areas	18.1	19.8	18.2
	Rural areas	13.4	12.2	10.3
Region
	Northern and Western	16.9	17.4	13.3
	Southern	19.1	18.4	14.2
	Eastern and Midland	14.8	16.6	17.5
¹Deprivation Rate: The share of persons who experience two or more of the eleven deprivation items.
² Data for 2022 was updated on 07/03/2024. Please see information note for details https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/in/silc/informationnotecensusrevisions-silc2020to2022/.

Open in Excel: SILC Enforced Deprivation 2024 Table 3.1 (XLS 38KB)

Table 3.2 The number of deprivation items experienced by year (% of individuals)

Table 3.3 Percentage of the population experiencing each deprivation item by enforced deprivation status and year (% of individuals)

Table 3.3 Percentage of the population experiencing each deprivation item by enforced deprivation status and year¹ (% of individuals)
		2022	2023	2024
Deprivation Indicators
% of individuals
	Without heating at some stage in the last year	8.2	10.8	8.2
	Unable to afford a morning, afternoon or evening out in the last fortnight	9.0	11.8	10.1
	Unable to afford two pairs of strong shoes	2.1	2.0	2.3
	Unable to afford a roast once a week	3.3	4.2	3.7
	Unable to afford a meal with meat, chicken or fish every second day	1.2	1.6	1.8
	Unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes	8.6	8.1	6.2
	Unable to afford a warm waterproof coat	1.3	1.2	0.6
	Unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm	6.8	7.2	4.9
	Unable to afford to replace any worn out furniture	18.7	17.8	16.7
	Unable to afford to have family or friends for a drink or meal once a month	9.2	12.3	10.3
	Unable to afford to buy presents for family or friends at least once a year	3.8	5.2	4.1
	% of individuals experiencing deprivation
	Without heating at some stage in the last year	38.7	49.3	39.2
	Unable to afford a morning, afternoon or evening out in the last fortnight	50.9	61.2	58.2
	Unable to afford two pairs of strong shoes	12.9	11.2	14.0
	Unable to afford a roast once a week	18.6	20.1	20.7
	Unable to afford a meal with meat, chicken or fish every second day	7.2	8.9	11.2
	Unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes	48.6	44.5	37.8
	Unable to afford a warm waterproof coat	7.6	6.6	3.9
	Unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm	38.0	37.5	28.8
	Unable to afford to replace any worn out furniture	77.3	72.1	72.5
	Unable to afford to have family or friends for a drink or meal once a month	51.1	63.0	52.1
	Unable to afford to buy presents for family or friends at least once a year	20.3	26.0	21.6
	% of individuals not experiencing deprivation
	Without heating at some stage in the last year	2.1	2.8	2.4
	Unable to afford a morning, afternoon or evening out in the last fortnight	0.7	1.5	1.1
	Unable to afford two pairs of strong shoes	0.0	0.0	0.1
	Unable to afford a roast once a week	0.3	0.8	0.6
	Unable to afford a meal with meat, chicken or fish every second day	0.0	0.0	0.0
	Unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes	0.7	0.5	0.4
	Unable to afford a warm waterproof coat	0.1	0.0	0.0
	Unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm	0.6	0.8	0.4
	Unable to afford to replace any worn out furniture	7.1	6.4	6.3
	Unable to afford to have family or friends for a drink or meal once a month	0.9	1.7	2.5
	Unable to afford to buy presents for family or friends at least once a year	0.5	0.9	0.9
¹ Data for 2022 was updated on 07/03/2024. Please see information note for details https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/in/silc/informationnotecensusrevisions-silc2020to2022/.

Open in Excel: SILC Enforced Deprivation 2024 Table 3.3 (XLS 35KB)

Two in five persons unable to work due to long-standing health problems were living in enforced deprivation

By self-defined principal economic status (PES), people who were most likely to be living in enforced deprivation were those unable to work due to long-standing health problems (38.5%), followed by the unemployed (37.8%). Persons least likely to be living in enforced deprivation were the employed (11.6%) and the retired (6.9%). Enforced deprivation rates for all PES categories fell in 2024 when compared with 2023 rates, except for the rate for the unemployed which remained unchanged. See figure 3.2 and table 3.1.

X-axis label	2022	2023	2024
Employed	11.7	12.3	11.6
Unemployed	46.6	37.8	37.8
Retired	12.2	9.6	6.9
Unable to work due to long-standing health problems	40.3	44.7	38.5
Student, pupil	17.8	21.6	17
Fulfilling domestic tasks	21.2	24.8	23

Almost half of people living in single-adult households with children were living in enforced deprivation

In 2024, by household composition, people living in single-adult households with children were the most likely to be living in enforced deprivation (46.3%), whereas people living in two adult households where at least one of the adults was 65 years or older were the least likely to be living in enforced deprivation (6.9%). See figure 3.3 and table 3.1.

X-axis label	2022	2023	2024
1 adult aged 65 years and over	17.2	20	11.7
1 adult aged less than 65 years	23.9	25.7	22.7
2 adults, at least 1 aged 65 years and over	9	7.2	6.9
2 adults, both aged less than 65 years	16	12.4	17.6
3 or more adults	11.7	12.8	7.9
1 adult, with children under 18 years	45.4	41.4	46.3
2 adults, with 1-3 children under 18 years	17.4	17.7	16.2
Other households with children under 18 years	16.5	22	19.8

Renters more likely to be living in enforced deprivation than those in owner-occupied homes

By tenure status, more than three in ten (31.5%) people living in rented or rent-free accommodation were living in enforced deprivation, compared with less than one in ten (8.7%) living in owner-occupied housing. See figure 3.4 and table 3.1.

X-axis label	2022	2023	2024
Owner-occupied	9.9	8.8	8.7
Rented or rent-free	32.4	36.5	31.5

While approximately three in ten (30.6%) people live in rented or rent-free accommodation, they account for six in ten (61.3%) people living in enforced deprivation in 2024. See figure 3.5 and table 3.4.

X-axis label	Rented or rent-free	Owner-occupied
Persons experiencing enforced deprivation	61.3	38.7
Population	30.6	69.4

Table 3.4 Profile of population experiencing enforced deprivation by demographic characteristics and year (% of individuals)

Table 3.4 Profile of population experiencing enforced deprivation¹ by demographic characteristics and year²(% of individuals)
		2022		2023		2024
		Population	Deprivation rate²	Population	Deprivation rate¹	Population	Deprivation rate ¹
State		100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Sex
	Male	49.4	45.3	49.4	45.5	49.2	44.8
	Female	50.6	54.7	50.6	54.5	50.8	55.2
Age group
	0-17	24.0	27.2	23.4	28.9	23.0	31.1
	18-34	21.0	23.2	21.3	23.7	21.1	21.3
	35-49	22.7	23.7	22.3	21.2	22.6	23.7
	50-64	18.2	15.0	18.2	17.0	18.4	16.6
	65+	14.2	10.9	14.8	9.1	14.9	7.3
Principal economic status
	Employed	46.1	32.7	47.0	33.3	48.3	35.9
	Unemployed	2.4	6.9	2.8	6.0	2.4	5.8
	Retired	12.0	8.8	12.7	7.0	12.7	5.6
	Unable to work dut to long-standing health problems	4.5	10.9	4.3	11.1	4.0	9.7
	Student, pupil	7.6	8.2	6.6	8.3	6.7	7.2
	Fulfilling domestic tasks	5.2	6.7	4.7	6.7	3.9	5.8
	Children under 16 years of age	21.2	23.9	21.3	26.0	20.7	28.6
	Other	0.9	1.9	0.6	1.6	1.3	1.4
Highest education level attained
	Primary or below	7.2	11.2	6.6	10.4	5.9	8.4
	Lower secondary	11.3	14.8	10.5	14.5	10.2	12.1
	Higher secondary	18.4	20.7	19.3	21.4	19.1	18.6
	Post leaving cert	9.2	10.8	9.6	9.7	9.2	9.6
	Third level non degree	5.5	5.5	5.2	4.3	5.4	4.6
	Third level degree or above	26.8	12.4	26.4	12.1	28.2	16.6
	Children under 16 years of age	21.2	23.9	21.3	26.0	20.7	28.6
	Other³	0.5	0.7	1.1	1.8	1.4	1.5
Household composition
	1 adult aged 65+	3.6	3.7	3.7	4.3	3.7	2.8
	1 adult aged <65	4.4	6.4	4.6	6.8	4.3	6.3
	2 adults, at least 1 aged 65+	8.7	4.8	9.0	3.7	9.1	4.0
	2 adults, both aged <65	10.7	10.3	10.7	7.7	10.6	11.9
	3 or more adults	21.1	14.9	20.9	15.4	21.5	10.8
	1 adult with children aged under 18	4.1	11.2	3.9	9.3	3.9	11.6
	2 adults with 1-3 children aged under 18	28.7	30.1	28.6	29.3	28.0	28.9
	Other households with children aged under 18	18.6	18.5	18.6	23.6	18.8	23.8
Household type
	One person household	8.1	10.7	8.3	11.1	8.1	9.1
	Lone parent with at least one child aged less than 25	7.7	20.7	8.5	22.4	8.1	22.9
	Lone parent with all children aged 25 or more	3.4	3.6	3.1	3.3	3.1	3.4
	Couple without any child(ren)	14.8	9.1	15.5	6.5	14.9	8.6
	Couple with at least one child aged less than 25	46.3	39.2	43.1	36.3	43.7	41.3
	Couple with all children aged 25 or more	6.5	2.8	6.6	1.5	7.3	1.9
	Other type of household	13.1	13.8	15.0	19.0	14.9	12.8
Number of persons at work
	0	17.5	33.4	17.4	29.4	16.2	27.6
	1	27.0	37.6	26.8	33.6	26.3	36.7
	2	43.6	23.8	44.5	29.8	43.3	29.8
	3+	11.9	5.2	11.3	7.2	14.3	5.9
Tenure status
	Owner-occupied	70.5	42.2	69.3	35.3	69.4	38.7
	Rented or rent free	29.5	57.8	30.7	64.7	30.6	61.3
Urban/rural location
	Urban areas	67.4	73.5	67.5	77.0	67.8	78.8
	Rural areas	32.6	26.5	32.5	23.0	32.2	21.2
Region
	Northern and Western	17.8	18.1	17.2	17.3	17.8	15.1
	Southern	32.1	37.1	32.6	34.6	32.3	29.3
	Eastern and Midland	50.2	44.8	50.2	48.1	49.9	55.6
¹ Deprivation Rate: The share of persons who experience two or more of the eleven deprivation items.
² Data for 2022 was updated on 07/03/2024. Please see information note for details https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/in/silc/informationnotecensusrevisions-silc2020to2022/.
³ Including missing highest education level.

Open in Excel: SILC Enforced Deprivation 2024 Table 3.4 (XLS 13KB)

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Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC): Enforced Deprivation 2024

Enforced Deprivation

Enforced Deprivation

Enforced deprivation went down from 17.3% in 2023 to 15.7% in 2024

Enforced Deprivation

Two in five persons unable to work due to long-standing health problems were living in enforced deprivation

Almost half of people living in single-adult households with children were living in enforced deprivation

Renters more likely to be living in enforced deprivation than those in owner-occupied homes

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Table 3.2 The number of deprivation¹items experienced by year² (% of individuals)
		2022	2023	2024
Number of deprivation items experienced
% of individuals
	0 (No deprivation)	72.6	70.0	71.9
	1	10.8	12.7	12.4
	2	5.6	5.6	5.8
	3+	11.0	11.8	9.9
	Total	100.0	100.0	100.0
	2+	16.6	17.3	15.7
¹ Deprivation Rate: The share of persons who experience two or more of the eleven deprivation items.
² Data for 2022 was updated on 07/03/2024. Please see information note for details https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/in/silc/informationnotecensusrevisions-silc2020to2022/.