Measuring Ireland's Progress 2021

Ireland: Population distribution by age group

• Table 1.1 shows Ireland's population was estimated at 5.1 million in April 2022, an increase of 1.8% (i.e. 88,700 persons) on 2021. The population has risen by over half a million (506,500 persons) or 11% since 2012.
• Ireland has an ageing population as the proportion of people aged 45 or over increased over the last 10 years from 34.9% in 2012 to 40.2% in 2022, while the proportion aged under 45 decreased from 65.1% in 2012 to 59.8% in 2022.
• The proportion of the population aged 65 years or over increased from 12.0% in 2012 to 15.1% in 2022. The proportion aged 45-64 years also increased, from 22.9% in 2012 to 25.1% in 2022.
• Conversely the proportion of the population aged 25-44 years decreased from 31.2% in 2012 to 27.5% in 2022, while the proportion aged 0-14 years decreased from 21.5% in 2012 to 19.6% in 2022. The proportion aged 15-24 years rose slightly from 12.3% in 2012 to 12.8% in 2022.

By country: Population

• Ireland had the third highest percentage increase (10.3%) in population growth among the European Union 27 (EU27) countries between 2012 and 2022, after Malta (24.8%) and Luxembourg (23.0%). The EU27 population increased by 1.4% overall (see Table 2.2).
• Out of the EU27, ten countries experienced a decline in population between 2012 and 2022: Italy, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Greece, Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Latvia and Croatia.
• Croatia had the biggest percentage fall in population at 9.3%, while Malta had the largest increase at 24.8%.
• Germany had the largest population in the EU27 in 2022 at 83.2 million people, over 16 times the size of Ireland's population (5.1m).

Ireland: Migration and natural increase

• The number of emigrants from Ireland is estimated to have increased to 59,600 in the 12 months to April 2022, up from 54,000 (10.4%) in 2021 (see Table 1.3).
• Inward migration to Ireland in the 12 months to April 2022 is estimated at 120,700, an increase of 85.1% from 65,200 in 2021.
• The combined effect of these trends was positive net migration of 61,100 in 2022 (i.e. more people moved to Ireland than left). This was the highest annual level in the last 10 years and contrasts with the years 2012-2014 when there were more emigrants than immigrants.
• There were 60,700 births in Ireland in 2022, which was 5,200 more (9.4%) than in 2021 but down 17.1% on the 73,200 births in 2012. Over the last 10 years the natural increase in the population (i.e. births minus deaths) has decreased from 44,500 in 2012 to 27,700 in 2022.
• The population is estimated to have increased by 88,800 persons in 2022, compared to the 18,800 increase in 2012. 

Ireland: Immigration and emigration by country of origin/destination

• In 2022 there were 120,700 immigrants into Ireland, an increase of 85.1% on 2021. There was an increase in immigration from all regions except the UK and Canada (see Table 1.4).
• Of those who immigrated, 57,600 or 47.7% arrived from the 'rest of the world' (i.e. countries other than the EU27, USA, Australia, the UK or Canada). This was up 253% from 16,300 in 2021.
• About 16,100 persons immigrated to Ireland from the UK in 2022, which was down 15.7% on the previous year, while 5,000 persons immigrated from Canada (-3.8%).
• The number of people emigrating from Ireland to the UK in 2022 was 14,200, down 22.0% from 18,200 in 2021. In total, 18,700 persons emigrated to the EU27, up 31.4% on 2021, 6.900 emigrated to the US (+176.0%), and 4,400 to Canada (+158.8%).
• A total of 59,600 persons emigrated from Ireland in 2022, up 10.4% from 54,000 in 2021. The number of persons immigrating to Ireland exceeded the numbers emigrating to every region classified in Table 1.4, with the classification 'rest of the world' having the highest net migration in 2022 at 46,400.

By country: Young and old age dependency ratios

• In 2021, Ireland had the highest young-age dependency ratio (the percentage of the population aged under 15 years as a proportion of the working age-population, i.e. those aged 15-64) in the EU at 30.6% (see Table 1.5).
• Ireland had the second lowest old-age dependency ratio (the percentage of the population aged 65 or over as a proportion of those aged 15-64) in the EU27 at 22.6%.
• This had the combined effect of a young and old age dependency ratio of 53.2% in Ireland, which was 2.8 percentage points less than the EU27 average of 56.0% in 2021.
• France had the highest combined dependency ratio in the EU in 2021 at 62.2% while Luxembourg had the lowest at 44.1%.

By country: Total fertility rate

• Ireland had a fertility rate of 1.8 in 2021. This tied with France, Czechia and Romania as the highest rate in the EU27.
• Malta had the lowest fertility rate in the EU27 in 2021 at 1.1.
• Spain had the second lowest fertility rate in 2021, at 1.2. In general, Mediterranean countries had lower fertility rates than the EU27 average of 1.5.
• All countries in the EU27 fell below the theoretical replacement fertility rate of 2.1 in 2021.

By country: Proportion of live births outside of marriage and mean age of woman at birth of first child

• The average age of first time mothers in Ireland increased from 29.9 years in 2015 to 30.9 in 2020 (see Table 1.7). 
• The EU27 average age of first time mothers in 2020 was 29.5 years. Bulgaria had the lowest average age at 26.4 years and Italy had the highest at 31.4 years.
• In the EU27, more than half of live births occurred outside of marriage in seven countries in 2020: France (62.2%), Bulgaria (59.6%), Portugal (57.9%), Slovenia (56.5%), Sweden (55.2%), Denmark (54.2%) and Netherlands (53.5%).
• The proportion of live births outside marriage in Ireland was 38.7% in 2020, up from 36.6% in 2015.
• The EU27 country with the lowest proportion of births outside of marriage in 2020 was Greece, at 13.8%.

By country: Divorce rates

• Ireland had the second lowest divorce rate in the EU27 in 2020, at 0.6 divorces per 1,000 persons. Malta had the lowest rate at 0.5 divorces per 1,000 persons (see Table 1.8).
• The average divorce rate in the EU27 in 2020 was 1.6 divorces per 1,000 persons.
• Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark had the highest divorce rates in the EU27 in 2020 (of the countries for which data was available), at 2.7 per 1,000 persons. Many of the countries in the EU27 with the highest divorce rates are in the Scandinavian and Baltic regions.

By country: At risk of poverty rates

• In 2021 Ireland had an at risk of poverty rate of 43.3% before social transfers and pensions. This was 2.0 percentage points below the EU27 average of 45.3% (see Table 1.9).
• After social transfers and pensions, the proportion of those at risk of poverty in Ireland decreased by 30.4 percentage points down to 12.9%. This was 3.9 percentage points below the EU27 average of 16.8%.
• Latvia had the highest at risk of poverty rate in 2021 after social transfers and pensions at 23.4%, while Czechia had the lowest at 8.6%.

Ireland: At risk of poverty and consistent poverty rates by age group

• In 2022, 13.1% of all persons in Ireland were considered at risk of poverty. People aged 65+ had the highest at risk of poverty rate at 19.0% and people aged 18-34 had the lowest rate at 7.8% (see Table 1.10).
• Almost one in every nineteen people in Ireland was in consistent poverty in 2022 (5.3%). This was an increase from one in twenty-five people (4.0%) in 2021.
• People aged 0-17 had the highest rate of consistent poverty in 2022 at 7.5%, followed by those aged 50-64 at 6.6%. People aged 65+ had the lowest rate at 3.3%.
• All age groups saw increases in consistent poverty rates in 2022, while all age groups except those aged 18-34 saw an increase in the at risk of poverty rate.

Ireland: At risk of poverty and consistent poverty by household composition

• In 2022, households of one adult aged 65 years or over had the highest at risk of poverty rate at 33.6%, up from 21.5% the year before. Households of one adult aged under 65 had an at risk of poverty rate of 32.0% (see Table 1.11).
• Consistent poverty rates in 2022 were highest in households of one adult aged under 65 years, at 14.5%, followed by households of one adult with children aged under 18 at 14.1%.
• Households of three or more adults had the lowest at risk of poverty rate in 2022 at 4.7%. Households with two adults, at least one aged 65 years or over, had the lowest consistent poverty rate of 1.6%.

Ireland: At risk of poverty and consistent poverty rates by principal economic status

• In 2022, the group in Ireland with the highest at risk of poverty rate was those who were unemployed with a rate of 35.6%, up from 23.2% the previous year. This group was followed by those who were unable to work due to long-standing health problems with a rate of 35.2% (see Table 1.12).
• The consistent poverty rate in 2022 was highest among persons who were unable to work due to long-standing health problems at 19.7%, or almost one in five. The consistent poverty rate for those who were unemployed was 18.0%.
• People who were employed had the lowest at risk of poverty rate in 2022 at 5.8% and the lowest rate of consistent poverty at 2.3%.

Ireland: Median weekly earnings by sex

• Between 2013 and 2020, the median weekly earnings across both sexes combined increased from €530.00 to €629.46 (see Table 1.13).

• The difference in median weekly earnings between males and females decreased between 2013 and 2015, dropping from €120.89 in 2013 to €116.70 in 2015. It then increased to €143.12 by 2019 before falling to €129.33 in 2020.

By country: Gender pay gap

• The gender pay gap is defined as the difference between male and female gross hourly earnings as a percentage of average gross hourly male earnings. 
• In 2010, Ireland had a gender pay gap of 13.9% and this decreased to 12.2% in 2012. The gender pay gap increased to 14.4% in 2017, before falling to 9.9% in 2020 (see Figure 1.8).
• Ireland's gender pay gap was the eighth lowest (jointly with Cyprus) in the EU27 in 2020 (of the countries for which data was available), and was 3.0 percentage points below the EU27 average of 12.9% (see Table 1.14).
• Latvia had the highest gender pay gap in 2020, at 22.3%. Luxembourg had the lowest, at 0.7%.

By country: Net official development assistance

• In 2021, Net Official Development Assistance (ODA) was 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) for Ireland. Additionally, it accounted for 0.4% of Ireland's Modified GNI (GNI*). These figures are unchanged in the last five years (see Table 1.15).
• In all, four countries had attained the United Nations (UN) target ODA of 0.7%: Luxembourg (1.0%), Sweden (0.9%), Denmark (0.7%) and Germany (0.7%). Outside the EU27, Türkiye and Norway (0.9%) had also attained the target.

Private households with internet access

• The proportion of households in Ireland with access to the internet increased from 89% in 2017 to 94% in 2022 (see Table 1.16).
• In 2022, Ireland had the joint fourth highest rate of household internet access in the EU alongside Belgium, Sweden and Cyprus, and was above the EU27 average of 92%.
• Nearly all households (98%) in the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Finland had access to the internet, while in Spain the rate was 96% and in Denmark it was 95%.
• Greece had the lowest rate of household internet access in the EU27 at 85%, while Croatia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Portugal and Romania also had rates lower than 90%.