The report Measuring Ireland’s Progress, 2005, published by the CSO, shows the progress made in Ireland in important economic, social and environmental areas. As well as showing developments over time, the report benchmarks the situation in Ireland against the other EU Member States.

Source: CSO

Key findings of the report include:

• The population in Ireland increased by almost 14% to over 4.1 million persons in the period 1996-2005. This was the second highest rate of increase in the EU behind Cyprus and was significantly higher than the EU 25 growth of just 2.5%. The fertility rate in Ireland remained the highest in the EU in 2004, at a rate of 1.95 compared to an EU average of 1.50.

• Life expectancy at birth was 80.3 years for females and 75.1 years for males in the period 2001-2003. Life expectancy for males was 0.7 years above the EU average of 75.1 years but that for females was 0.5 years below the corresponding EU figure of 81.2 years.
  

• The proportion of persons aged 25-34 in Ireland with 3rd level education rose from 27.1% in 1999 to 39.2% in 2005, the fourth highest rate in the EU 25. The corresponding EU rate in 2005 was 28.5%.

• In 2004, Ireland had the second highest GDP per capita, expressed in terms of purchasing power standards within the EU. However, based on GNI, Ireland falls back to eighth place at around 16% above the EU average.

• Ireland remained one of the most successful EU states at attracting foreign investment, with direct inward investment flows representing 6% of GDP in 2004. This was over five times the corresponding Eurozone 12 figure of 1.1% of GDP. However, the 2004 figure was substantially lower than the 14.5% recorded for Ireland in 2003.

• The public balance in Ireland was significantly in surplus during the late 1990s. However, over the period 2000-2002 it decreased from a surplus of 4.4% of GDP to a deficit of 0.4% of GDP. In 2003 Ireland again showed a small surplus of 0.2% of GDP, which increased to 1.4% in 2004.

• The employment rate in Ireland rose from 55.1% in 1996 to 67.1% in 2005 which was higher than the EU rate of 63.8% in 2005. The employment rate for women in Ireland increased by almost 15 percentage points over the period, while the rate for men rose by over 9 percentage points. Productivity in Ireland, measured as GDP per person employed, was the second highest in the EU in 2004.

• The unemployment rate in Ireland increased slightly from a low point of 3.6% in 2001 to 4.2% in 2005. However, Ireland had the lowest unemployment rate in the EU in 2005 at less than half of the EU 25 average. The long-term unemployment rate was 1.4% in 2004, which was considerably better than the EU average of 4.1%.

• Early school leavers represented approximately one eighth of the 18-24 age group in Ireland in 2005 and their unemployment rate, at 22.3% in 2005, was almost three times the rate of 8.1% recorded for all persons aged 18-24.

• Ireland’s international trade competitiveness has deteriorated since 2000, mainly due to higher inflation and an appreciating euro. Cumulative inflation in Ireland over the period 2000-2005 was 18% compared to an EU 25 average of 11%. Over the same period, the euro increased in value against the dollar by 35%.

• 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. 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.

• Ireland’s net official development assistance amounted to 0.39% of GNI in 2004. This was below both the UN 2007 target of 0.7% of GNI and the interim Irish Government 2002 target of 0.45%.

• Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions were at 126.9% of 1990 levels in 2001. This was almost 14 percentage points above the Kyoto 2008-2012 target for Ireland of 113% of 1990 levels. The situation improved in the period 2002-2004 with emissions decreasing to a level of 123.5% of 1990 levels, or 10.5 percentage points above the Kyoto target, in 2004.

• The percentage of waste landfilled in Ireland decreased from 79.3% in 2002 to 66.4% in 2004. Textiles, plastic and organic waste were the materials most likely to be landfilled with over 93% of textile waste, 81% of plastic waste and almost 74% of organic waste landfilled in 2004.

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