Tuesday, June 27, 2006
State of the Irish Nation
The Central Statistics Office have released Measuring Ireland’s Progress, 2005, leading some to say that Ireland is ”racing ahead” of its European neighbours.
Others point out that the survey reveals Ireland has one of the highest risk-of-poverty rates in the EU.
The key findings listed by the CSO:
- Population has increased by almost 14% to over 4.1 million persons in the period 1996-2005. This was the second highest rate of increase in the EU.
- Life expectancy for males was 0.7 years above the EU average of 75.1 years but that for females was 0.5 years below the corresponding EU figure of 81.2 years.
- The proportion of persons aged 25-34 in Ireland with 3rd level education rose from 27.1% in 1999 to 39.2% in 2005, the fourth highest rate in the EU 25. The corresponding EU rate in 2005 was 28.5%.
- In 2004, Ireland had the second highest GDP per capita, expressed in terms of purchasing power standards within the EU. However, based on GNI, Ireland falls back to eighth place at around 16% above the EU average.
- Ireland remained one of the most successful EU states at attracting foreign investment, with direct inward investment flows representing 6% of GDP in 2004. This was over five times the corresponding Eurozone 12 figure of 1.1% of GDP. However, the 2004 figure was substantially lower than the 14.5% recorded for Ireland in 2003.
- The public balance in Ireland was significantly in surplus during the late 1990s. However, over the period 2000-2002 it decreased from a surplus of 4.4% of GDP to a deficit of 0.4% of GDP. In 2003 Ireland again showed a small surplus of 0.2% of GDP, which increased to 1.4% in 2004.
- The employment rate in Ireland rose from 55.1% in 1996 to 67.1% in 2005 which was higher than the EU rate of 63.8% in 2005. The employment rate for women in Ireland increased by almost 15 percentage points over the period, while the rate for men rose by over 9 percentage points. Productivity in Ireland, measured as GDP per person employed, was the second highest in the EU in 2004.
- The unemployment rate in Ireland increased slightly from a low point of 3.6% in 2001 to 4.2% in 2005. However, Ireland had the lowest unemployment rate in the EU in 2005 at less than half of the EU 25 average. The long-term unemployment rate was 1.4% in 2004, which was considerably better than the EU average of 4.1%.
- Ireland’s international trade competitiveness has deteriorated since 2000, mainly due to higher inflation and an appreciating euro.
- The proportion of Irish people at risk of poverty, after pensions and social transfer payments were taken into account, was 21% in 2004. This was one of the highest rates in the EU. The effect of pensions and social transfers on reducing the at-risk-of-poverty rate was low in Ireland compared with other EU countries. In 2002, social protection expenditure in Ireland was less than 16% of GDP. This was half of the rate in Sweden and the lowest of the EU 15 countries.
Other statistics in the report:
- The employment rate of persons aged 55-64 was higher than the EU average in 2004. However, only
33.7% of women in Ireland in this age group were in employment compared to 65.0% of men.
- Over 6% of men and over 7% of women in Ireland were in consistent poverty in 2004. Ill or disabled
people were most likely to be in consistent poverty.
- The pupil-teacher ratio at primary level in Ireland in the school year 2002/2003 was one of the highest in
the EU at 18.7. Just over half of all EU states had a pupil-teacher ratio of less than 15 at primary level.
- In 2003, 15 year old girls displayed much higher reading literacy proficiency than boys of the same age in
Ireland.
- In the first half of the 1990s, price levels in Ireland were below the EU 25 average. Since 1995, Ireland has been relatively more expensive than the EU 25 average and by 2004 our price level was over 23% above the EU average. Denmark was the only EU state with higher costs of living than Ireland in 2004.
- Ireland spent considerably less on research and development1 as a percentage of GDP/GNI than the EU average in the period 1995-2004 and as a percentage of GNI is exactly the same as it was a decade ago.
- In 2004, 19.7% of unemployed persons were in consistent poverty, compared with 1.8% of people at work. Almost 22% of ill or disabled people in Ireland were experiencing consistent poverty.
- In 1995, women’s earnings were 80% of men’s earnings in Ireland compared to 83% in the EU as a whole. By 2004 this proportion had increased to 89% in Ireland compared to an EU average of 85%
- Ireland had the seventh lowest gender pay gap of those EU countries providing data in 2004. Malta had the lowest gap, with women’s earnings at 96% of men’s earnings
- Real expenditure per student in Ireland increased by 77.1% for first level students and by 53.9% for second level students over the period 1995-2004 when measured in constant 2003 prices. However, the corresponding increase at third level over the period was a more modest 5.4%. These contrasting trends are partly explained by the trend in student numbers. The numbers of students decreased by 9.2% at first level and by 9.0% at second level between 1994/1995 and 2003/2004. However, over the same period, the number of third level students increased by over 50%
- Ireland had a student to teacher ratio of 18.7 at primary education level (ISCED 1) in 2002/2003. This was the fifth highest reported ratio in the EU. The overall student to teacher ratio for first and second level education for Ireland in 2002/2003 was 15.4.
- Over the period 1999-2005, the proportion of females aged 25-34 in Ireland with 3rd level education rose from 27.5% in 1999 to 43.7% in 2005. Over the same period, the rate for males increased more modestly from 26.7% to 34.9%. The widening gap reflects the increasing tendency for females to remain in education for longer than males.
- In 2005, 39.2% of the population aged 25-34 in Ireland had 3rd level education compared with 28.5% in the EU.
- Girls in Ireland performed much better than boys in reading literacy tests in 2003 with an average score of 530 for females compared to 501 for males. These scores combined to give Ireland the second highest reading literacy for 15 year
old students among included EU countries. Ireland was also above the OECD average in mathematical and scientific literacy.
- Almost 87% of persons aged 20-24 in 2005 had completed second level education or higher. This figure decreased for older age groups down to 41.0% of persons aged 55-64. Women of all ages in Ireland are more likely than men to have completed at least upper secondary education.
- There has been net migration into Ireland in each year during the period 1996-2005. The level of net inward migration increased from 8,000 in 1996 to 41,300 in 2002 before falling to 31,600 in 2004 and then rising substantially to
53,400 in 2005.
- The natural increase in the population was 33,500 in 2005, a substantial increase on the 1996 figure of 16,700.
- The level of annual gross emigration from Ireland decreased from 31,200 persons in 1996 to 16,600 persons in 2005. Some 26,200 persons moved to Ireland from the ten new EU countries in 2005 compared to 8,900 persons from the other EU countries excluding the UK.
- Ireland had the highest proportion of persons aged under 15 in the EU (30.7%) and the second lowest proportion of persons aged 65 and over (16.4%) in 2004.
- The number of lone parent families with children aged under 20 increased by almost 80% between 1996 and 2005. The ratio of female to male heads of household for lone parent families with children aged under 20, increased from just over 7:1 in 1996 to over 11:1 in 2005.
- There were over twice as many women aged 65 and over living alone in 2005 as there were men.
- The percentage of persons aged 65 and over living alone in 2005 was 31.9%.
- The number of murders recorded in Ireland since the 1970’s has been increasing steadily. A decrease in the number of murders was recorded in 2003 and 2004, for the first time since 1997.
- The number of private cars per 1,000 population aged 15 and over in Ireland has risen from 364 in 1995 to 495 in 2004. Ireland’s passenger car ownership rate was lower than the EU average of 555.3 in 2002.
- Central and local government expenditure (public spending) is put at 32.7% of GNI in 2004, down from 39% in 1995. Gross debt as a percentage of GNI is put at 32%.
George @ 11:40 AM
This progress is wonderful. It really is.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 01:33 PMThe ‘State of the Irish Nation’ looks pretty good to me with figures supplied. The one down fall is that the article has only addressed the southern part of Ireland. If we compared it with the north we would have a comparison of the whole Irish Nation. Then we would know the true ‘State of the Irish Nation’.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 01:44 PMWhich Irish nation, i wonder?? I look forward to the day we gain independence in Scotland too. Lucky Irish!!
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 01:44 PMJust to nit-pick but this report is not about the state of the ‘Irish Nation’ (as in the title). It is merely a report on the 26 county subset of it that is economically/politically independent…
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 01:44 PMI had a feeling I’d get picked up on “Irish Nation” but I hope my northern brethren don’t think too ill of me for briefly sacrificing them for the sake of I what I thought was a catchy headline.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 02:01 PMOK first of all I want to inform you that these aren’t the Census results. We will have to wait until July 10th 2006 to get a preliminary result of the total population of the Republic. While the estimates are interesting I believe they may be underestimating the true levels of immigration. Apparently the Census enumerators were unable to deliver forms to 300,000 homes, and supposedly after consultations with management companies and landlords it was determined these premises were “vacant”. However there are those who would suspect that some Black Economy employers who house illegal workers may be hiding a lot of people. I heard on the radio some time ago about some Poles who had disappeared when the Census people came to collect the form. Judge for yourselves.
However I do agree that few Irish people are emigrating compared to the 80’s when between 88-92 around 88,000 a year were leaving. And many of those leaving will return and are just getting work-experience abroad. A stark contrast to the exodus from the North.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 02:02 PM“Ireland has one of the highest risk-of-poverty rates in the EU.”
Once again this old hairy chestnut. Define “poverty”.
Proving that i can be as pedantic as the best of them
Article 4 of the constitution of this country : “The name of the State is Éire, or, in the English language, Ireland.”
From Dictionary.com
IRISH
“adj : of or relating to or characteristic of Ireland or its people.”NATION
“noun : A relatively large group of people organized under a single, usually independent government; a country.”So there’s absolutely nothing wrong with he title.
Brian Boru “A stark contrast to the exodus from the North.”. The latest I saw was that there was also net migration into Northern Ireland.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 02:12 PM“A stark contrast to the exodus from the North.”
For the last few years (since about 2001) there have been more people moving from GB to NI than from NI to GB. This is part of a UK wide trend as people move out from London and the South East to Wales, Scotland and NI. Also the external migration figures suggest more in-migration to NI than out-migration.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 02:17 PMKeith M:
“So there’s absolutely nothing wrong with he title.”
Not if you are a 26 county free state ‘nationalist’, no...but those few of us who do not vote for Fine Gael the nation is significantly more than the narrow definition of a group of people organised under a single government (in that case, are the UK or the EU nations, merely because the power is centralised in London/Brussels?) The 3rd definition from Dictionary.com states a nation to be:
‘A people who share common customs, origins, history, and frequently language’ This is the more generally understood definition…Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 02:27 PMss “This is the more generally understood definition.” I beg to differ. Most people see nation/state/country as interchangeable.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 02:40 PMFrom what I hear from people who have a serious number of houses and flats to rent there are very high levels of immigration into NI. I don’t know if they are legal or illegal. The majority of flats are being taken by members of EU states and African and Indian medical staff. It may be anecdotal or not typical of NI as a whole, but certainly no mass exodus quite the opposite. Indeed some of the flatlands are becoming foreign enclaves, as many landlords prefer hard working East Europeans as tenants over social housing tenants.
Good to see good economic statistics south of the border.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 02:42 PMKeith M,
Most people see nation/state/country as interchangeable.
The Constitution - yours and mine - disagrees with you. Are you only slightly constitutional?
seabhac siulach,
Ignore Keith M, he’s just trolling. Yeah, I know I’m a hypocrite.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 02:47 PMSS
‘A people who share common customs, origins, history, and frequently language’ This is the more generally understood definition…
That clearly places unionists in the British nation and not the Irish.
Sauce for the goose?
ps. Remember there have been two referenda at either end of the 20th century on the partition of Ireland - and both were passed by a majority.
Never voted FG in my life. (Yet).Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 02:49 PMStephen Copeland : I’m fully aware that the Irish constitution has a different definition of “nation” and includes people of Irish extraction all over he World, however try and think out of the Irish box and think globally. I repeat most people see nation/state/country as interchangeable.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 02:50 PM“The latest I saw was that there was also net migration into Northern Ireland.”
Yes but that does not disguise that it is NI people leaving and non-NI people entering.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 03:04 PMRingo:
“‘A people who share common customs, origins, history, and frequently language’ This is the more generally understood definition…
That clearly places unionists in the British nation and not the Irish. “
And hence the problem in the 6 counties...we have British nationalists (unionists) present within the confines of the historical Irish Nation...having been planted there…
However, there is a subtle difference in being a British nationalist and being able to call oneself British (as a nationality, I mean)...only those born in England,Scotland or Wales can legitimately do that…“ps. Remember there have been two referenda at either end of the 20th century on the partition of Ireland - and both were passed by a majority. “
And in the 26 counties the constitution was changed as follows following this GFA referendum;
“Article 2 states that everyone born on the island of Ireland has the right “to be part of the Irish Nation”, and grants citizenship to all such people (if at least one of their parents are Irish).
Article 3 declares the will of the Irish people to create a united Ireland, provided this occurs peacefully, and with the consent of the people of Northern Ireland.”
Clearly the meaning intended from this is that the full 32 counties comprise the Irish Nation, as understood by most Irish people. So, what is your point?
From memory, no changes took place in the UK ‘constitution’ (that mess of parliamentary bills) following the 6 county GFA referendum that had anything to do with nationality…
So, again, what is your point?Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 03:08 PM“Yes but that does not disguise that it is NI
people leaving and non-NI people entering. “I am uncelear on why this particular point is an issue.
But in terms of NI people, I think there are a fair number of returnees. The internal UK migration data (i.e. GB to NI and vice versa), finds more people going from GB to NI in recent years than going from NI to GB.
These are actual UK residents, not people from outside the UK, and I think many are likely to be NI people returning. (If you look at the age profile of the migrants, the leavers tend to be about student age and the people entering tend to be older.)
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 03:14 PMMy impression is that throughout the whole of the UK there is a tendency for native-born people to leave and go to Spain or the US or somewhere and be replaced by folk from abroad.
This is part of a general wish to better oneself: Beverly Hills is better than Scunthorpe, Scunthorpe is better than Islamabad, etc. In some cases, of course, it is merely the job which is better.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 03:56 PMSlug: “These are actual UK residents, not people from outside the UK, and I think many are likely to be NI people returning.”
I think that a large number are English people looking to get out of England (might be more when the world cup is over - whether they win or lose!)
Previously they would have been put off by the violence, but not any more. It’s an unexpected peace dividend - a fresh bunch of planters.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 04:02 PMPaddy and DK
Purely personal anecdote here (but Crat does this so I can) but a lot of my 30-something and 40-something relatives are coming back, with their kids, after about 15-20 years in London and elsewhere. Some of it is just a desire to bring up the children near their grandparents and maybe have a better lifestyle and better schools. In fact I have cousins who weren’t even born/brought up in NI choosing NI because of the family link.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 04:12 PMSlug,
You are correct, certainly from my personnel point of view at least! I’m returning in the next few months, I left to work in the south east about 10 years ago fresh out of uni. Now it’s time to come home.
I’m not alone either, of the few I kept in touch with and who also moved away many are returning.
G
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 04:13 PM‘’Ignore Keith M, he’s just trolling. Yeah, I know I’m a hypocrite.’’
Keith tends to select out a subset of the total complement of relevant facts that validates his worldview.Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 04:14 PMBrian
Yes but that does not disguise that it is NI people leaving and non-NI people entering.
Name a country that this doesn’t happen in, Zimbabwe, North Korea, Burma? Most people who leave here go to England and many English come here, same country. Do you object to Dubliners going to Cork?
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 05:47 PMAm can we get back to the issue in hand. the above report and the definition of nation.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 07:13 PMWhile some might point out that the “risk of poverty” has risen in ireland, I would contend that the risk of poverty is far far better than the actuality of poverty. Ireland does, indeed, appear to be racing ahead, at least economically. What this financial sprint does to the social fabric of the country is another matter entirely.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 09:13 PM
