Ireland's risk-of-poverty rate among EU's highest

Ireland has one of the highest rates in the EU of people at risk of falling into poverty, according to a report published today by the Central Statistics Office.

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

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

In 2002, social protection expenditure in Ireland was less than 16% of GDP. This was half of the rate in Sweden and the lowest of the EU 15 countries.

The report - Measuring Ireland’s Progress, 2005 - was published today.