Tag: statistics

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Irish Among The Happiest People In Europe

Michael Green

A study by the European Union has revealed that Irish people are a pretty happy bunch. With a score of 7.4 out of 10 in the ‘experience of life ranking’ Ireland trails only behind Denmark (the perennial winner) with 8.4, Sweden and Finland with a score of 8, Luxembourg (7.8), Malta (7.7) and the Netherlands (7.7). Surprisingly, given the recent economic devastation, the report found that Ireland was the third richest country in the EU, behind Luxembourg and Austria in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in purchasing power. This study mirrors other recent reports including the UNICEF … Continue reading Irish Among The Happiest People In Europe

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UNICEF Ranks Ireland Tenth Best For Kids

Michael Green

A report by UNICEF has provided mixed news for Irish parents with its findings ranging from very good to seriously bad. The report listed an average rank in the four elements of child well-being: material well-being, health, education, and behaviours and risks. The report examined data from 2001 to 2010 for 29 developed OECD countries and ranked The Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Sweden at the top of the list with the UK in 16th place and the US in 21st place. The listing of Ireland in 10th place is relatively good but does however mask some shortcomings in the … Continue reading UNICEF Ranks Ireland Tenth Best For Kids

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Rate of Unemployment In Ireland Remains High At 14.6%

Michael Green

The rate of unemployment in Ireland remains stubbornly high within the 14% to 15% range. This bad news has in part been reduced by an increase in the rate of emigration. The Central Statistics Office has announced that the number of people ‘signing on’ is just under 430,000, down just over 10,000 since the start of 2012. The figures could not mask the increase in the number of those considered to be ‘long-term’ unemployed. Nearly 190,000 of the total unemployed have been claiming benefits for over a year – a 3.3% increase over the year. The Irish Central Bank estimates … Continue reading Rate of Unemployment In Ireland Remains High At 14.6%

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Ireland Ranked 25th Most Corrupt Country in 2012

Michael Green

The Berlin based watchdog ‘Transparency International’ has released its latest report regarding national public sector corruption. The new study uses metrics such as the independence and efficiency of the state judicial system as well as the effectiveness of oversight of public spending to compile the list. According to the latest results Ireland has fallen from 19th place last year to 25th place in 2012. The study measures the perception of corruption, given that most corrupt dealings are secret or never detected. Of the 176 countries that were analyzed Greece ranked in 94th place, the worst of any EU country. Widescale … Continue reading Ireland Ranked 25th Most Corrupt Country in 2012

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Irish Among the Busiest Texters as World Marks Twentieth Anniversary

Michael Green

The twentieth anniversary of the first ever text message being sent has now passed. It is a mere two decades since UK engineer Neil Papworth sent his ‘Merry Christmas’ message to a colleague. It is hard to imagine that the telecom companies knew what would follow. Hundreds of Billions of messages later and the Irish are among the most prodigious texters in the world, sending over a billion messages every month in 2012 so far. It is an astonishing statistic that the Irish send an average of at least 142 message per person every month. So the next time you are … Continue reading Irish Among the Busiest Texters as World Marks Twentieth Anniversary

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The Changing Face of Irish Religion Revealed by CSO Statistics

Michael Green

The Central Statistics Office has released more figures from the 2011 census that has highlighted the changing makeup of religion in Ireland. * The number of agnostics or atheists has increased dramatically and now represents 5.9% of the population * Catholics represent 84.2% of the population, the lowest percentage ever recorded * Muslims account for 1.1% * Non-Christian religions in Ireland account for 1.9% Other highlight from the 2011 census include: * There were 42,854 more females than males in the State in April 2011 * Immigration by Irish nationals was 19,593 in the year to April 2011 * Immigration … Continue reading The Changing Face of Irish Religion Revealed by CSO Statistics