More than one-in-five at risk of poverty

MORE than one-in-five people in Ireland are at serious risk of poverty despite our growing wealth, according to figures released yesterday by the Central Statistics Office.

The proportion of Irish people on the brink of poverty, after pensions and social transfer payments were taken into account, was 21% in 2003, one of the highest rates in the EU.

There is also a growing gap between the haves and have-nots, the CSO study reveals. In 2003, Ireland had the second highest GDP per capita expressed in terms of purchasing power standards within the EU. The wealthiest nation was Luxembourg.