IRISH PEOPLE are saddled with record debt, increased crime and relatively high levels of poverty. Yet, they also have a better standard of health and education than ever before.
These are among the findings contained in the Central Statistics Office's Statistical Yearbook of Ireland 2008, capturing a year of rapid social and economic change.
While the figures in the CSO's yearbook relate mostly to 2007 and 2006 - predating the economic downturn - they still capture an alarming level of personal debt. Lending by credit institutions to private households increased to a record €148 billion in 2007, up €14 billion on the previous year. A deficit of €10 billion was also recorded in the current account of the Government's balance of payments for that year.
Poverty has dropped slightly, although the rates remain high in international terms. The proportion of the population who experienced some element of enforced deprivation fell from 19 to 18 per cent between 2005 and 2006. However, the number of people experiencing consistent poverty rose slightly. Members of lone-parent households had the highest deprivation levels (65 per cent).
Pay rates have been rising, with average annual earnings reaching €37,000 in 2006 across all sectors, a rise of almost 20 per cent from 2002. Average weekly earnings in the public sector vary across civil servants (€838), gardaí (€1,205), education (€921) and the semi-State sector (€1,000).
Despite this, the gender pay gap remains the same. Average male earnings rose over this period to €43,270 (a 19 per cent increase), while female earnings increased to €30,100 (also a 19 per increase).
Average net disposable household income in 2006 was €836 per week, representing an 8 per cent increase on 2005. The level at which a household is said to be at risk of poverty is €202 a week.
The country is becoming more ethnically diverse. Some 188 countries were represented in the non-Irish-national population. Eighty-two per cent of these came from 10 countries: the UK, Poland, Lithuania, Nigeria, Latvia, US, China, Germany, Philippines and France. The number of non-Irish nationals enumerated as part of the 2006 census was 420,000, representing 10 per cent of the usually resident population.
Most forms of crime have been increasing. Homicide offences rose by almost two-thirds between 2003 and 2007, while anti-social behaviour and threatened murder and assault also rose sharply. However, burglaries and robberies dropped slightly over the period.
Households are getting more connected to the web. In total, 57 per cent had access to the internet in the first quarter of 2007.
The CSO statistical yearbook can be downloaded from www.cso.ie
