Over 20% of Irish people at risk of poverty

THE Central Statistics Office (CSO) report shows that, despite almost a decade of economic boom, Ireland still has a large proportion of people at risk of poverty. It also reveals that a higher proportion of women than men live in consistent poverty.

The figures tend to support the recent study by the Combat Poverty Agency, which showed that almost one in five Irish children live in income poverty for five years or more.

The proportion of Irish people at risk of poverty after pensions and social transfer payments were taken into account, was 21% in 2004. This was one of the highest rates in the EU.

In the same year the at-risk-of-poverty rate in Britain was 18%, in France it was 14%, in Luxembourg 1% and in the Czech Republic only 8% .

The effect of pensions and social transfers on reducing the at-risk-of-poverty rate was low in Ireland compared with other EU countries.

CSO figures also showed that more females were at higher risk of poverty than males across all age groups.

Some 6.8% of the population in Ireland were living in consistent poverty in 2004, this amounted to 7.4% of women and 6.2% of men, according to CSO figures.

The same year 19.7% of unemployed persons were in consistent poverty, according to the report.

In 2002, social protection expenditure in Ireland was only 15.9% of GDP.

This was half of the rate in Sweden and the lowest among the 15 EU member states.

Social protection expenditure as a proportion of GDP was lower in Ireland over the period 1994-2003 than in the 15 EU members.

Expenditure in Ireland decreased from 19.7% of GDP in 1994 to 14.1% in 2000, but increased again to 16.5% in 2003.