Wealth of Ireland's richest households drops for first time in five years 

'The richest 10% of Irish households held more than five times the amount held by households in the bottom half of the net wealth distribution altogether,' the Central Bank said

According to the Central Bank’s latest quarterly Household Wealth report, most household wealth, 68.5%, is held up in housing. 

The wealthiest 10% of Irish households have seen their total net household wealth decline for the first time in five years during the start of the year, falling by €3.2bn, according to new data from the Central Bank of Ireland.

Its latest quarterly Household Wealth report shows the combined net wealth of Irish households reached just over €1.247tn as of the end of March this year, increasing by €6.3bn compared to the end of December to hit a record high for this Central Bank data series.