Poverty and Hunger in Ireland

How is Poverty defined?

People are living in poverty if their income and resources (material, cultural and social) are so inadequate as to prevent them from having a standard of living, which is regarded as acceptable by Irish society. As a result of inadequate income and resources people may be excluded from participating in activities, which are considered the norm for other people in society.

Some poverty facts in Ireland:

• In 2001, 192,000 people (5% of the population) lived in consistent poverty.
• Consistent poverty levels reduced from 14.5% in 1994 to 5% in 2001.
• In 2001, more than 862,000 people (almost 22% of the population) lived on less than €164 per single person per week.
• Relative income poverty levels increased from 15.6% in 1994 to 22%.
• In 2001, 6% of the population live without basic necessities and on weekly incomes of less than €172 per adult.
• 4.9 % (192,000) of the population are on weekly incomes of less than €192 for an adult and €63 for a child and lack basic necessities.
• 6.5% of children (66,000) experience consistent poverty; 23.4% (237,000) are in income poverty. (Combat Poverty Agency, 2001).
• Children in Ireland are almost twice as likely as adults to be poor. By EU standards, Ireland has amongst the highest rates of child poverty, even though it has fallen in recent years.
• Demand for Housing is currently outstripping supply, particularly in the social housing sector. According to the Local Authority Social Housing Assessments of 2002 a total of 48,413 households were in need of local authority housing compared to 39,716 in 1999, an increase of 23.5 %.
• The financial stresses faced by private renters on low incomes are more severe than the financial stresses from housing costs faced by low income house purchasers.(Against all odds, 2004 Combat Poverty)
• Actually, 17 percent of Irish workers are living below the poverty line.

Hunger in Ireland:

The famine in Ireland lasted from 1845 to 1851 and it was a disaster of unimaginable proportions. Over 1 million people died of starvation and disease and another 1 million emigrated from the country--that was out of a population of just over 8 million. The lasting effect is that Ireland is the only major European country of any size that has a smaller population today than it had 100 to 150 years ago--something like 4.5 million in the North and South combined today.

More information? go to Hunger in Ireland