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Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC): Enforced Deprivation 2022

Enforced Deprivation

Enforced deprivation increased from 13.8% in 2021 to 17.7% in 2022.

CSO statistical publication, 23 November 2022, 11am

SILC data 2020 to 2022 was revised on 7 March 2024 due to changes made to weights, reflecting updated household population benchmarks, because of the availability of Census 2022 data.
The data in Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC): Enforced Deprivation 2022 was published on 23 November 2022 and does not reflect these revisions. For the most up to date deprivation data, which reflect revised population benchmarks from Census revisions, please see SILC Enforced Deprivation 2023 or PxStat.

In SILC, weights are applied to the data to ensure the results are reflective of the population as a whole. In 2022, the SILC Enforced Deprivation publication was released early, before the income data was fully processed, to provide more timely statistics on households. Following the processing of the income data and coherence checks with administrative data sources, the weights used for SILC 2022 data have been refined. Adjustments were made in the non-response process and the calibration boundaries, reducing the variance of the weights and improving the accuracy of the estimates. As a result, estimates contained in the SILC 2022 Enforced Deprivation publication have been revised. Please see the information note which compares published and revised results.

Enforced Deprivation

17.7%

of people

were experiencing enforced deprivation in 2022

up from 13.8% in 2021

Source: CSO Ireland, Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC): Enforced Deprivation 2022

enforced deprivation is where a household experiences two or more of the 11 deprivation items discussed in the previous chapter. Survey on Income and Living Conditions Fact Sheet (PDF 497KB) .

the proportion of persons living in households experiencing enforced deprivation increased over three percentage points, from 13.8% in 2021 to 17.7% in 2022. see table 3.1.

more than one in four (29.2%) of persons are living in households experiencing at least one of the 11 deprivation items. see figure 3.1 and table 3.2.

X-axis label	2+ items of deprivation experienced	1 item of deprivation experienced	0 (No deprivation)
2022	17.7	11.5	70.7
2021	13.8	11.2	75
2020	14.3	14.3	71.4

Of persons that are living in enforced deprivation, the most commonly experienced items are being:

unable to afford to replace any worn out furniture (79.2%);
unable to afford a morning, afternoon or evening out in last fortnight (51.9%)
unable to afford to have family or friends for a drink or a meal once a month (51.0%);

See table 3.3.

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

Table 3.1 Enforced deprivation¹rate by demographic characteristics and year (% of individuals)
		Deprivation rate¹
		2020	2021	2022 ²
State		14.3	13.8	17.7
Sex
	Male	13.6	12.9	16.3
	Female	15.1	14.8	19.1
Age group
	0-17	18.9	17.0	19.9
	18-34	14.2	15.2	19.8
	35-49	14.4	12.8	18.3
	50-64	13.0	13.9	16.0
	65+	8.1	8.4	12.7
Principal economic status (aged 16 years and over)
	Employed	9.2	8.6	12.7
	Unemployed	33.3	31.6	48.6
	Retired	7.0	7.6	12.0
	Unable to work due to long-standing health problems	37.0	39.6	44.3
	Student, pupil	16.1	13.0	20.1
	Fulfilling domestic tasks	16.5	15.6	23.1
Highest education level attained (aged 16 years and over)
	Primary or below	22.0	20.3	27.2
	Lower secondary	20.0	20.7	23.5
	Higher secondary	14.6	12.8	20.1
	Post leaving cert	16.6	15.0	21.4
	Third level non degree	10.0	9.2	17.3
	Third level degree or above	6.9	6.8	7.9
Household composition
	1 adult aged 65+	10.6	12.1	16.8
	1 adult aged <65	22.0	19.6	25.2
	2 adults, at least 1 aged 65+	6.8	6.9	9.0
	2 adults, both aged <65	11.7	15.3	17.9
	3 or more adults	7.8	10.9	12.9
	1 adult with children aged under 18	44.1	44.9	43.5
	2 adults with 1-3 children aged under 18	12.4	10.7	17.7
	Other households with children aged under 18	19.2	15.1	17.1
Number of persons at work in the household
	0	24.5	28.6	31.4
	1	19.3	13.8	24.3
	2	6.8	7.5	9.4
	3+	7.7	6.0	7.9
Tenure status
	Owner-occupied	7.4	6.1	10.2
	Rented or rent free	29.9	32.0	35.6
Urban/rural location
	Urban areas	15.8	15.8	19.6
	Rural areas	11.2	10.2	13.9
Region
	Northern and Western	11.3	10.9	16.5
	Southern	14.7	16.7	21.2
	Eastern and Midland	15.1	13.0	16.0
¹Deprivation Rate: The share of persons who experience two or more of the eleven deprivation items.
² The data on this table relating to 2022 were up updated on 22/02/2023. Please see information note for details. https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/in/silc/informationnote-revisiontosilcenforceddeprivation2022/

Open in Excel: SILC Enforced Deprivation 2022 Table 3.1 (XLS 37KB)

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 year (% of individuals)
		2020	2021	2022 ¹
Deprivation Indicators
	% of individuals
	Without heating at some stage in the last year	9.1	7.1	9.2
	Unable to afford a morning, afternoon or evening out in the last fortnight	7.4	3.8	9.7
	Unable to afford two pairs of strong shoes	2.1	3.0	2.3
	Unable to afford a roast once a week	3.7	3.6	3.5
	Unable to afford a meal with meat, chicken or fish every second day	1.3	1.6	1.4
	Unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes	7.2	8.9	9.5
	Unable to afford a warm waterproof coat	0.8	1.3	1.6
	Unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm	3.3	3.2	7.2
	Unable to afford to replace any worn out furniture	16.2	16.5	20.2
	Unable to afford to have family or friends for a drink or meal once a month	10.5	8.6	9.8
	Unable to afford to buy presents for family or friends at least once a year	3.8	3.4	4.3
	% of individuals experiencing deprivation
	Without heating at some stage in the last year	36.8	36.6	41.0
	Unable to afford a morning, afternoon or evening out in the last fortnight	45.9	25.3	51.9
	Unable to afford two pairs of strong shoes	13.3	20.8	13.1
	Unable to afford a roast once a week	22.5	24.5	18.4
	Unable to afford a meal with meat, chicken or fish every second day	9.0	11.1	7.8
	Unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes	46.1	59.5	49.9
	Unable to afford a warm waterproof coat	5.6	8.7	8.4
	Unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm	21.4	21.2	37.7
	Unable to afford to replace any worn out furniture	75.1	82.0	79.2
	Unable to afford to have family or friends for a drink or meal once a month	59.3	51.8	51.0
	Unable to afford to buy presents for family or friends at least once a year	22.2	18.9	21.5
	% of individuals not experiencing deprivation
	Without heating at some stage in the last year	4.5	2.3	2.3
	Unable to afford a morning, afternoon or evening out in the last fortnight	0.9	0.3	0.7
	Unable to afford two pairs of strong shoes	0.2	0.1	0.0
	Unable to afford a roast once a week	0.6	0.3	0.3
	Unable to afford a meal with meat, chicken or fish every second day	0.1	0.1	0.0
	Unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes	0.7	0.8	0.8
	Unable to afford a warm waterproof coat	0.0	0.1	0.1
	Unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm	0.3	0.3	0.6
	Unable to afford to replace any worn out furniture	6.4	6.0	7.6
	Unable to afford to have family or friends for a drink or meal once a month	2.3	1.7	0.9
	Unable to afford to buy presents for family or friends at least once a year	0.7	0.9	0.6
¹ The data on this table relating to 2022 were up updated on 22/02/2023. Please see information note for details. https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/in/silc/informationnote-revisiontosilcenforceddeprivation2022/

Open in Excel: SILC Enforced deprivation 2022 Table 3.3 (XLS 35KB)

One in two unemployed persons are living in enforced deprivation

By principal economic status, persons that are most likely to be living in enforced deprivation are the unemployed (48.6%), followed by those unable to work due to long-standing health problems (44.3%). Persons least likely to be living in enforced deprivation are the employed (12.7%) and the retired (12.0%). The enforced deprivation rate for all categories by principal economic status increased in 2022. See figure 3.2 and table 3.1.

X-axis label	2020	2021	2022
Employed	9.2	8.6	12.7
Unemployed	33.3	31.6	48.6
Retired	7	7.6	12
Unable to work due to long-standing health problems	37	39.6	44.3
Student, pupil	16.1	13	20.1
Fulfilling domestic tasks	16.5	15.6	23.1

Over two in five persons in single-adult households with children are living in enforced deprivation

By household composition, persons living in one-adult households with children are the most likely to be living in enforced deprivation (43.5%). See figure 3.3 and table 3.1.

X-axis label	2020	2021	2022
1 adult aged 65 years and over	10.6	12.1	16.8
1 adult aged less than 65 years	22	19.6	25.2
2 adults, at least 1 aged 65 years and over	6.8	6.9	9
2 adults, both aged less than 65 years	11.7	15.3	17.9
3 or more adults	7.8	10.9	12.9
1 adult, with children under 18 years	44.1	44.9	43.5
2 adults, with 1-3 children under 18 years	12.4	10.7	17.7
Other households with children under 18 years	19.2	15.1	17.1

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

By tenure status, one in three (35.6%) of persons living in rented or rent-free accommodation are living in enforced deprivation, compared with one in ten (10.2%) living in owner-occupied housing. See figure 3.4 and table 3.1.

X-axis label	2020	2021	2022
Owner-occupied	7.4	6.1	10.2
Rented or rent free	29.9	32	35.6

While an estimated three in ten (29.6%) of persons live in rented or rent-free accommodation, they make up six in ten (59.4%) of persons living in enforced deprivation. See figure 3.5 and table 3.4.

X-axis label	Rented or rent free	Owner-occupied
Persons experiencing enforced deprivation	59.4	40.6
Population	29.6	70.4

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 year (% of individuals)
		2020		2021		2022 ³
		Population	Deprivation rate¹	Population	Deprivation rate¹	Population	Deprivation rate ¹
State		100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Sex
	Male	49.6	46.9	49.5	46.0	49.6	45.7
	Female	50.4	53.1	50.5	54.0	50.4	54.3
Age group
	0-17	24.7	32.5	24.1	29.6	24.3	27.3
	18-34	20.8	20.7	20.9	23.0	20.3	22.7
	35-49	23.1	23.2	22.7	20.9	22.6	23.3
	50-64	17.2	15.6	17.7	17.7	18.0	16.2
	65+	14.3	8.1	14.6	8.8	14.8	10.6
Principal economic status
	Employed	42.8	27.4	42.0	26.0	45.4	32.5
	Unemployed	3.9	9.0	5.1	11.6	2.5	6.8
	Retired	12.5	6.1	12.1	6.7	12.6	8.5
	Unable to work dut to long-standing health problems	4.7	12.1	4.7	13.4	4.6	11.6
	Student, pupil	7.1	8.0	8.1	7.6	7.5	8.5
	Fulfilling domestic tasks	5.6	6.4	5.4	6.1	5.2	6.7
	Children under 16 years of age	22.0	28.7	21.3	26.3	21.4	23.4
	Other	1.5	2.2	1.3	2.4	0.9	1.9
Highest education level attained
	Primary or below	7.0	10.8	7.6	11.1	7.7	11.9
	Lower secondary	10.0	14.0	12.1	18.0	11.4	15.1
	Higher secondary	17.0	17.3	17.5	16.3	18.0	20.4
	Post leaving cert	8.1	9.4	9.2	10.0	9.4	11.3
	Third level non degree	7.9	5.5	5.1	3.4	5.6	5.5
	Third level degree or above	26.9	12.9	25.8	12.7	26.1	11.7
	Children under 16 years of age	22.0	28.7	21.3	26.3	21.4	23.4
	Other²	1.0	1.2	1.3	2.3	0.4	0.7
Household composition
	1 adult aged 65+	4.9	3.6	5.2	4.5	4.9	4.6
	1 adult aged <65	5.5	8.4	5.6	7.9	6.1	8.7
	2 adults, at least 1 aged 65+	8.9	4.2	9.1	4.5	9.5	4.8
	2 adults, both aged <65	11.3	9.2	10.7	11.9	11.1	11.2
	3 or more adults	16.5	9.0	17.3	13.6	17.0	12.4
	1 adult with children aged under 18	5.3	16.3	4.7	15.4	5.1	12.5
	2 adults with 1-3 children aged under 18	30.8	26.6	30.0	23.3	31.2	31.2
	Other households with children aged under 18	16.9	22.6	17.3	18.9	15.1	14.6
Number of persons at work
	0	21.5	36.6	22.2	45.8	19.5	34.5
	1	29.2	39.3	29.5	29.3	28.0	38.4
	2	38.6	18.2	37.6	20.2	41.4	22.1
	3+	10.8	5.8	10.8	4.6	11.1	5.0
Tenure status
	Owner-occupied	69.3	36.0	70.1	30.8	70.4	40.6
	Rented or rent free	30.7	64.0	29.9	69.2	29.6	59.4
Urban/rural location
	Urban areas	67.0	74.1	65.7	74.8	67.5	74.5
	Rural areas	33.0	25.9	34.3	25.2	32.5	25.5
Region
	Northern and Western	16.7	13.2	17.1	13.5	17.9	16.7
	Southern	32.3	33.1	32.1	38.6	31.4	37.6
	Eastern and Midland	51.0	53.7	50.8	47.9	50.7	45.7
¹ Deprivation Rate: The share of persons who experience two or more of the eleven deprivation items.
² Including missing highest education level.
³ The data on this table relating to 2022 were up updated on 22/02/2023. Please see information note for details. https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/in/silc/informationnote-revisiontosilcenforceddeprivation2022/

Open in Excel: SILC Module on Enforced Deprivation 2022 Table 3.4 (XLS 13KB)

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Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC): Enforced Deprivation 2022

Enforced Deprivation

Enforced Deprivation

Enforced deprivation increased from 13.8% in 2021 to 17.7% in 2022.

Enforced Deprivation

One in two unemployed persons are living in enforced deprivation

Over two in five persons in single-adult households with children are living in enforced deprivation

Renters over three times 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 year (% of individuals)
		2020	2021	2022 ²
Number of deprivation items experienced²
% of individuals
	0 (No deprivation)	71.4	75.0	70.7
	1	14.3	11.2	11.5
	2	5.8	5.6	5.7
	3+	8.5	8.2	12.1
	Total	100.0	100.0	100.0
	2+	14.3	13.8	17.7
¹ Deprivation Rate: The share of persons who experience two or more of the eleven deprivation items.
² The data on this table relating to 2022 were up updated on 22/02/2023. Please see information note for details. https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/in/silc/informationnote-revisiontosilcenforceddeprivation2022/