Back to Top
75 years of the CSO
Statistics Database
cso.ie as Gaeilge

 Skip navigation

Show Menu  

Women and Men in Ireland 2016

Society

1.1 Ireland: Population by age group, 2016 
AgeMenWomenTotalMen per 100 women 
 0-14514,579491,9731,006,552105 
15-24292,492283,960576,452103 
25-34318,401341,009659,41093 
35-44368,527378,354746,88197 
45-54311,036315,009626,04599 
55-64252,556256,402508,95899 
65-74184,462189,046373,50898 
75-7954,11761,350115,46788 
80-8435,19645,84181,03777 
85 and over 23,06244,49367,55552 
Total2,354,4282,407,4374,761,86598 
Source: Census of Population, CSO 

 

  • There are more males than females in the 0-14 and 15-24 age groups because more boys are born than girls.
  • As more males than females have emigrated in recent years, there are fewer men than women in the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups.
  • The ratio of men to women in the population in Ireland decreased with age in 2016, from 99 men per 100 women in the 45-54 age group to 52 men per women in the 85 years and over age group. This is because women live longer than men.
MenWomen
03187630381
13282431205
23403132287
33478533291
43621534620
53683135573
63703335484
73685335313
83644435080
93430932641
103316731626
113301630998
123289631429
133231731214
143198230831
153148330160
163118329806
173154029778
183138329911
192931928253
202850827829
212740726990
222732627026
232727226663
242707127544
252879428484
262768328574
273023931413
282845231004
293005432738
303275235595
313280135533
323421037562
333599039714
343742640392
353984041705
364089242304
373749439690
383681837863
393600136814
403652136893
413567436300
423530735865
433545035838
443453035082
453524335214
463352533683
473193231708
483131531631
493080931050
503076531223
513044631352
522960330580
532903229875
542836628693
552832428932
562704527862
572717527284
582589426534
592542025632
602480225063
612443524810
622353623764
632352323879
642240222642
652212022036
662136122185
672107421368
682065120738
691975519948
701868919132
711699117621
721591916511
731461115608
741329113899
751214213307
761175512955
771090112441
78995511534
79936411113
80867910608
8178469975
8270679272
8362028282
8454027704
8548497098
8639686363
8731805605
8825624816
8921174304
9016733705
9113243054
929662452
937471986
945241543
953881163
96321889
97192542
9893357
99+158616
1.2 EU: Men per 100 women, 20161
number
Country0-1415-2425-6465 & overTotal
Luxembourg10610510480101
Malta10710810481100
Sweden10610710385100
Denmark1051051018499
Slovenia1061061067198
Netherlands1051041008498
Ireland104105978798
Germany1061101027797
United Kingdom105105988397
Belgium1051041017797
Finland1051051027697
Czech Republic1051051037197
Spain1061051007697
Austria1061071007596
EU 28105106997596
Romania1061061016895
Slovakia1051051006395
Cyprus106100938695
Bulgaria1061061026895
Italy106107987694
Greece105104968094
France105104967594
Poland105104996494
Croatia106105996693
Hungary106106976091
Portugal105103927190
Estonia105106975188
Lithuania105105915185
Latvia106106934985
      
Norway10510610584101
Iceland10410510290101
Switzerland1061051027998
    Source: Eurostat, CSO Demography
1Population on 1 January.

 

  • Malta and Sweden had the most gender balanced populations in the EU in 2016 with equal numbers of men and women.
  • The EU average was 96 men per 100 women while Ireland had 98 men per 100 women.
  • Latvia and Lithuania, at 85 men per 100 women, had the least gender balanced populations in the EU in 2016.
  • All EU countries had more males than females for those aged under 25 as more boys are born than girls.
  • However the ratio of men per 100 women declines for older age groups as life expectancy for males is lower than for females.
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
1.3 Ireland: Migration by age group, 2007 and 20171
000s
 20072017
Age groupMenWomenTotalMenWomenTotal
Emigrants      
0-140.60.81.44.24.08.2
15-248.99.318.27.98.316.2
25-4412.88.421.218.216.434.5
45-642.01.13.03.01.44.4
65 & over1.51.02.50.80.51.4
Total emigrants25.720.646.334.230.664.8
       
Immigrants      
0-145.36.111.44.14.78.8
15-2428.932.561.48.610.018.6
25-4438.127.765.824.123.047.1
45-646.04.110.14.73.17.8
65 & over1.70.72.41.11.22.3
Total immigrants80.071.1151.142.741.984.6
       
Net migration2      
0-144.85.310.0-0.20.80.6
15-2420.023.143.10.71.72.4
25-4425.319.344.65.96.612.5
45-644.03.17.11.71.73.4
65 & over0.2-0.3-0.10.30.60.9
Total net migration54.350.4104.88.511.319.8
 Source: CSO Population and Migration estimates
1Data for 2017 is preliminary.
2Net migration is the number of immigrants less emigrants.

 

  • In 2007 there were far more immigrants than emigrants and net migration was over 104,000 persons. By 2017 net migration had declined to 19,800 people, with 84,600 people arriving to live in Ireland (immigrants) and 64,800 leaving the country to live abroad (emigrants).
  • The number of males emigrating from Ireland rose from 25,700 in 2007 to 34,200 in 2017 while the number of female emigrants rose from 20,600 to 30,600 over the same time period.
  • Over the time period 2007 to 2017 the number of male immigrants nearly halved, falling from 80,000 to 42,700 while the number of female immigrants also declined sharply, falling from 71,100 to 41,900.
Open in Excel:
Male emigrantsMale immigrantsFemale emigrantsFemale immigrants
200725.78020.671.1
200829.653.919.659.5
200941.936.830.136.8
201040.620.428.721.4
201141.92638.827.2
201245.927.537.129.7
201341.632.339.730.4
201438.330.936.635.6
201535.835.734.140.2
20163141.235.141.2
201734.242.730.641.9
  • In 2007 immigration to Ireland peaked at 80,000 for men and 71,100 for women. Immigration for both sexes declined between 2008 and 2010 and then gradually increased between 2011 and 2017. In 2017 there were 42,700 male immigrants and 41,900 female immigrants.
  • The number of male emigrants increased between 2007 and 2012, rising from 25,700 to 45,900 before declining in recent years to 34,200 in 2017.
  • The number of female emigrants increased between 2007 and 2013, from 20,600 to 39,700 before dropping to 30,600 in 2017.
  • Net migration, the number of immigrants less the number of emigrants, was positive between 2007 and 2009 but turned negative between 2010 and 2014 before turning positive again over the last three years.
1.5 Ireland: Age of women at birth of first child, 1955-2014
   average age in years
YearTotal birthsBirths within marriageBirths outside marriage
195527.527.923.0
196027.227.623.1
196526.226.622.9
197025.325.722.4
197524.825.321.8
198024.925.621.5
198526.027.221.8
199026.328.321.9
199527.029.722.7
200027.430.623.6
200528.731.425.1
200628.831.425.3
200728.831.325.6
200828.931.325.8
200929.131.426.2
201029.431.626.6
201129.832.027.0
201230.032.127.3
201330.332.427.7
201430.532.728.0
Source: CSO Vital Statistics

 

  • The average age at which women in Ireland gave birth to their first child fell over the period 1955-1975 from 27.5 years to 24.8 years. Since then, this average age rose to 30.5 years in 2014.
  • The average age of women giving birth within marriage fell from 27.9 years in 1955 to 25.3 years in 1975 and has risen since then to 32.7 years in 2014.
  • A similar pattern can be observed for the average age of women giving birth outside marriage. The average age fell from 23 years in 1955 to 21.5 years in 1980 but rose to 28 years by 2014.
  • The average age of women giving birth to their first child has consistently been higher for births within marriage than births outside marriage over the time period 1955 to 2014.
TotalWithin marriageOutside marriage
195527.497987279607127.929198210598822.9993726474279
195627.458534081036327.893093500763623.1137142857143
195727.49323009882527.889711355553723.053947368421
195827.607756504663728.002655637788423.2408412483039
195927.396615040715327.773876166242623.2051630434783
196027.24153044302327.626062442144223.0525641025641
196126.994047619047627.361247734921123.2354685646501
196226.67361425766527.05644176772222.9565445026178
196326.536455696202526.899221183800622.9710659898477
196426.303143446412126.710233850428322.6086956521739
196526.211809536656126.600014729709822.8923138510809
196625.986447736737926.355190440627322.9661893396977
196725.841758391085726.270529776582222.3194756554307
196825.6192736540325.99909116331122.4698058950395
196925.461575350677425.840368001055222.4032258064516
197025.324407678561125.680180749541822.4232283464567
197125.158549525173825.493365535703922.3061224489796
197225.064406950899225.419031256927522.158105022831
197324.975230980931825.358251478808321.9372722540344
197424.948731063373825.36000216966821.9562828475872
197524.838539632955925.281102707442721.8006244424621
197624.967657211466325.44712540120521.7336322869955
197725.026999452545725.551486830926121.8215750615258
197825.019161706105225.599072251897721.5570416994493
197924.943268722043225.551766274161321.5208109077861
198024.935819499649325.589917066783121.5369643441282
198124.957660303475325.695716524464621.4397063417682
198225.103506304315125.973152934022521.445118428654
198325.200042630288826.183996324012121.4391279728199
198425.416719242902226.498684297085721.5523697302959
198526.007020122662127.187194463843621.8471593765711
198626.117896311066827.397370436558622.0031876138434
198726.248686514886227.71745572092421.9282584884995
198826.40258417327927.987972508591122.1233988044406
198926.298359291404128.127196584003921.9263565891473
199026.291830232690428.336981193255521.9119442854417
199126.303317008014228.445395879870921.9007821799014
199226.401005763363128.679288360472122.0595140371039
199326.639417204676329.059945504087222.3292091217855
199426.824797923181329.385629132904922.3985833869929
199527.025343545843729.689630166787522.6540749553837
199627.002109265142429.949781659388622.8572681704261
199727.127641547049430.121030713170223.0866713516046
199827.147081339712930.329680759275223.1850698174006
199927.189049394221830.591123536606723.3004793289395
200027.430.623.6
200127.630.723.9
200227.843375980189830.679413709499724.2082587814295
200328.16750370492343124.5858715248126
200428.531.224.9
200528.731.425.1
200628.831.425.3
200728.831.325.6
200828.931.325.8
200929.131.426.2
201029.431.626.6
201129.83227
20123032.127.3
201330.332.427.7
201430.532.728
1.6 EU: Age of women at birth of first child in 2015 and total fertility rate, 2015
 years  
Country  Average age at birth of first child, 20151Total fertility rate, 2015Change in TFR, 2005-20152
France28.51.960.02
Ireland29.61.920.06
Sweden29.21.850.08
United Kingdom28.71.800.04
Denmark29.21.71-0.09
Belgium28.71.70-0.06
Latvia26.51.700.31
Lithuania27.11.700.41
Netherlands29.71.66-0.05
Finland28.81.65-0.15
EU 2828.91.580.07
Estonia27.21.580.06
Romania26.31.580.18
Czech Republic28.21.570.28
Slovenia28.71.570.31
Bulgaria26.01.530.16
Germany29.51.500.16
Austria29.21.490.08
Luxembourg30.21.47-0.16
Hungary27.91.450.14
Malta28.81.450.07
Croatia28.31.40-0.10
Slovakia27.11.400.13
Italy30.81.350.01
Greece30.21.33-0.01
Spain30.71.330.00
Cyprus29.51.32-0.16
Poland27.01.320.08
Portugal29.51.31-0.10
    
Turkey:2.140.01
Iceland27.51.80-0.25
Montenegro26.31.740.05
Norway28.91.72-0.12
Albania:1.670.06
Switzerland30.61.540.12
Macedonia26.81.500.04
Serbia27.71.460.01
Source: Eurostat, CSO Vital Statistics
1Data for Montenegro for average age at birth of first child is for 2009
2Change in TFR for Turkey is between 2007 and 2015

 

  • The total fertility rate in Ireland was 1.92 in 2015, the second highest rate in the EU after France at 1.96 and well above the EU average of 1.58.
  • The lowest fertility rate in the EU was in Portugal at 1.31.
  • The total fertility rate increased in eighteen EU countries between 2005 and 2015.
  • Ireland had the sixth highest average age at birth of first child at 29.6 years, above the EU average of 28.9 years.
  • The highest average age at birth of first child was 30.8 years in Italy while the lowest was in Bulgaria at 26 years.

 

1.7 EU: Gender Equality Index, 2015
CountryOverall indexWorkMoneyKnowledgeTimePowerHealth
Sweden82.682.687.572.890.179.594.1
Denmark76.879.286.673.683.161.589.6
Finland73.074.786.461.377.465.389.7
Netherlands72.976.786.867.383.952.989.9
France72.672.186.166.167.368.287.1
United Kingdom71.576.681.271.869.953.093.1
Belgium70.573.887.571.165.353.486.3
Ireland69.573.984.766.474.248.690.6
Luxembourg69.074.094.469.469.143.589.0
Slovenia68.471.881.655.072.960.687.7
Spain68.372.475.965.364.057.089.6
EU2866.271.579.663.465.748.587.4
Germany65.571.484.252.965.053.090.5
Austria63.376.185.963.261.234.991.7
Italy62.162.478.661.459.345.386.3
Malta60.171.082.465.264.227.491.8
Bulgaria58.068.661.953.342.756.076.4
Latvia57.973.664.348.965.839.078.4
Poland56.866.873.356.052.535.182.2
Lithuania56.873.265.655.850.636.679.1
Estonia56.772.166.753.274.728.281.5
Portugal56.072.070.954.847.533.983.6
Cyprus55.170.779.258.551.324.788.2
Czech Republic53.666.175.957.357.322.686.0
Croatia53.169.469.949.851.028.583.3
Romania52.467.159.451.850.333.270.4
Slovakia52.465.574.060.046.323.185.3
Hungary50.867.270.756.954.318.786.0
Greece50.064.270.755.644.721.783.1
    Source: European Institute for Gender Equality

 

  • The Gender Equality Index is a composite index of gender equality compiled by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)
  • On the overall Gender Equality Index, Ireland was the eighth highest of the EU member states with a score of 69.5 (where 1 indicates total inequality and 100 indicates gender equality). The EU average score was 66.2.
  • The highest scores on the overall index were in Sweden and Denmark with scores above 75. The lowest scores were in Greece and Hungary.
  • Ireland scored above the EU average on all of the domains, i.e., in work, money, knowledge, time, power and health.
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
1.8 Ireland: Offence group of sentenced commitals to prison, 2014
Offence groupMenWomenTotal% women
Homicide offences421432.3
Sexual offences14521471.4
Attempts/threats to murder, assaults, harassment and related offences482395217.5
Dangerous or negligent acts65014979918.6
Kidnapping and related offences171185.6
Robbery, extortion and hijacking offences743773.9
Burglary and related offences279132924.5
Theft and related offences9782571,23520.8
Fraud, deception and related offences326353619.7
Controlled drug offences709527616.8
Weapons and explosives offences18371903.7
Damage to property and to the environment3866445014.2
Public order and other social code offences1,3561841,54011.9
Road and traffic offences2,9941,1594,15327.9
Government, justice procedures and organised crime offences1,0442821,32621.3
Offences not elsewhere classified54439694042.1
Total10,2092,64412,85320.6
Source: Irish Prison Service

 

  • There were 12,853 persons committed to prison under sentence in 2014, of whom approximately one in five (20.6%) were women.
  • Of the 42 people committed to prison for homicide offences only one was female while of the 145 committed for sexual offences only two were female.
  • Nearly three in ten men (29.3%) and over four in ten women (43.8%) were committed to prison for road and traffic offences.
1.9 EU: Victims of selected crimes, 20151
%
CountryHomicideSerious assaultSexual assault
MaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemale
Austria64.235.882.817.211.888.2
Bulgaria::76.223.816.683.4
Croatia57.942.185.614.48.391.7
Czech Republic::73.426.63.396.7
Denmark58.941.174.625.410.789.3
Estonia76.223.8::::
Finland81.618.477.222.82.797.3
France62.337.751.048.915.184.8
Germany55.544.573.426.66.293.8
Greece67.732.3::::
Hungary49.250.874.525.515.584.5
Ireland81.318.869.730.332.767.3
Italy69.930.159.840.29.190.9
Latvia56.143.976.623.420.080.0
Lithuania71.528.588.511.511.188.9
Malta50.050.0::::
Serbia76.623.488.711.38.991.1
Slovakia68.231.875.124.913.686.4
Slovenia64.635.479.820.213.686.4
Spain64.835.269.830.212.687.4
Sweden74.125.976.723.39.690.4
United Kingdom63.935.9::12.787.3
       
Serbia76.623.488.711.38.991.1
Switzerland57.842.281.718.316.983.1
Turkey78.821.264.635.414.585.5
  Source: UNECE Gender statistics database
1Reference year is 2013 for Czech Republic and for sexual assault for Ireland. 2014 data used for Italy for serious assault and sexual assault and for United Kingdom for homicide.

 

  • The majority of serious assault victims were male in all the reporting countries in 2015.
  • The majority of homicide victims were male in all the reporting countries, with the exceptions of Hungary and Malta, where around 50% of the victims were female.
  • The majority of sexual assault victims were female in all the reporting countries.
  • In Ireland 81.3% of victims of homicide and 69.7% of victims of serious assault were male.
  • When examining this data it should be taken into account that levels of reporting of particular crimes may vary across countries.
1.10 Ireland: Means of travel to work, 2006 and 2016
% of usual residents aged 15 & over at work1
Means of travel20062016
MenWomenMenWomen
On foot9.314.38.010.8
Bicycle2.81.14.21.8
Bus, minibus or coach5.37.85.07.0
Train, DART or LUAS2.73.53.33.5
Motorcycle or scooter1.10.20.70.1
Motor car: Driver57.264.956.666.9
Motor car: Passenger5.46.53.45.0
Other (including lorry or van)14.30.413.60.4
Not stated2.01.25.34.6
Total100.0100.0100.0100.0
Source: CSO Census of Population
1Excludes persons working mainly at or from home.

 

  • More than half of men (56.6%) in employment drove a car to work in 2016, a slight drop on the 2006 figure of 57.2%. Two-thirds (66.9%) of women in employment drove to work in 2016, a small rise on the 2006 figure of 64.9%.
  • The proportions of both men and women travelling to work as a passenger in a car decreased between 2006 and 2016.
  • Women were more likely to walk to work than men. Just over one in ten (10.8%) women walked to work in 2016 compared to 8% of men.
  • Men were more likely to cycle than women, with 4.2% of men in employment cycling to work in 2016 compared to 1.8% of women.
1.11 Ireland: Time taken to travel to work, 2016
% of usual residents aged 15 and over at work1
Time takenMenWomen
Less than ¼ of an hour21.424.6
¼ of an hour to less than ½ an hour27.331.6
½ an hour to less than ¾ of an hour21.420.8
¾ of an hour to less than 1 hour7.77.6
1 hour to less than 1½ hours8.86.7
1½ hours and more3.52.0
Not stated9.86.6
Average journey time (mins)29.726.5
Total100.0100.0
Source: CSO Census of Population
1Excludes persons working mainly at or from home.

 

  • Over half of women (56.2%) and nearly half of men (48.7%) had a travel time to work of less than 30 minutes in 2016.
  • More than one in eight (12.3%) men and 8.7% of women had a travel time to work of one hour or longer in 2016.
1.12 Ireland: Road fatalities1 by road user type, 2014
   number%
Road userMaleFemaleTotal% female
Car driver46206630.3
Car passenger22133537.1
Pedestrian21214250.0
Pedal cyclist1031323.1
Motor cyclist231244.2
Other road user110110.0
Total1335819130.4
 Source: Road Safety Authority
1Collisions omitted where sex of casualty was not specified.

 

  • Seven out of ten (69.6%) of the 191 people who died on Irish roads in 2014 were male.
  • Of the 24 motor cyclists killed on the roads, only one was female while only 3 of the 13 pedal cyclists killed were female.
  • Three out of ten (30.3%) car drivers killed on the roads in Ireland in 2014 were female while 37.1% of car passengers who died in road traffic accidents were female.
  • Half of the 42 pedestrians who were killed on Irish roads in 2014 were female.
MalesFemales
Total13358
Pedestrian2121
Car passenger2213
Car driver4620
Pedal cyclist103
Motor cyclist231
Other road user110
1.13 Ireland: Road fatalities1, 2004-2014
   number%
YearMaleFemaleTotal% female
200425910236128.3
200528610238826.3
20062629735927.0
20072508533525.4
20081997527427.4
20091825623823.5
20101614620722.2
20111305618630.1
20121085516333.7
20131424618824.5
201421345919330.6
 Source: Road Safety Authority
1Collisions omitted where sex of casualty was not specified.
2The number of fatalities includes two people whose road user status or age cannot be confirmed and thus are not included in 1.12 or 1.14.

 

  • There has been a large decrease in the total number of road fatalities in Ireland between 2004 and 2014.
  • There were 361 road fatalities in 2004 but this figure had dropped by nearly half to 193 by 2014.
  • The number of male fatalites dropped from 259 to 134 between 2004 and 2014, a decrease of 48.3% while the number of female fatalities dropped from 102 to 59 over the same time period, a decrease of 42.2%.
MenWomen
2004259102
2005286102
200626297
200725085
200819975
200918256
201016146
201113056
201210855
201314246
201413459
1.14 Ireland: Road casualties1 by age of victim, 2015
Age GroupMaleFemaleTotal
KilledInjuredKilledInjuredKilledInjured
0-17126096418181,027
18-24237785544281,322
25-44501,836141,336643,172
45-642187416731371,605
65 & over263781734343721
Unknown137017154
Total1334,512583,3891917,901
Source: Road Safety Authority
1Collisions omitted where sex of casualty was not specified.

 

  • More than a third (37.6%) of male fatalities on Irish roads in 2014 were aged 25-44 while 19.5% were aged 65 and over.
  • Three out of ten (29.3%) female fatalities on Irish roads in 2014 were aged 65 and over while more than a quarter were aged 45-64.
1.15 Ireland: Current driving licences by age of holder, 2016
Age groupFull licenceLearner permit
MenWomenTotalMenWomenTotal
20 & under22,52912,64435,17332,22726,96059,187
21-2454,94045,134100,07422,14524,42746,572
25-29101,28693,665194,95120,17320,74940,922
30-39293,731283,762577,49329,50330,36459,867
40-49297,843273,423571,26613,62612,95026,576
50-59248,402221,204469,6064,8955,45810,353
60-69198,964159,854358,8181,6132,9294,542
70-79114,91285,169200,0813261,0751,401
80 & over38,34725,06263,40962175237
Total1,370,9541,199,9172,570,871124,570125,087249,657
  Source: Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

 

  • More than half (53.3%) of full driving licences were held by men in 2016. 
  • There were more men than women with a full driving licence in all age groups. Just under two-thirds (64.1%) of those aged under 20 with a full driving licence were men while 60.5% of those aged 80 and over with a full driving licence were men.
  • In 2016 just over half (50.1%) of learner permits were held by women.
  • Just under six in ten (58.8%) of men and women with learner permits were aged under 30 years.
Full licence menFull licence womenLearner permit menLearner permit women
20 & under22529126443222726960
20-2454940451342214524427
25-29101286936652017320749
30-392937312837622950330364
40-492978432734231362612950
50-5924840222120448955458
60-6919896415985416132929
70-79114912851693261075
80 & over383472506262175

 

Go to next chapter >>> Employment

Contents

Why you can Trust the CSO

Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.

go to trust & transparency

Contact:

Central Statistics Office
Skehard Road, Cork T12 X00E, Ireland

Tel:
(+353) 21 453 5000
E-Mail:
information@cso.ie

Links:

Careers

You can count on a rewarding career with the CSO.

Learn about our variety of roles and the benefits of working with the CSO.

Follow: