Ireland - Statistics
Introduction
Official name: Éire (Irish); Ireland{1} (English).
Form of government: unitary multi- party republic with two legislative
houses (Senate [60{2}]; House of Representatives [166]). Chief of state:
President. Head of government: Prime Minister.
Capital: Dublin.
Official languages: Irish; English.
Official religion: none.
Monetary unit: 1 Euro= 100 cents
Demography
Population (1996): 3,599,000.
Density (1996): persons per sq mi 132.6, persons per sq km 51.2.
Urban-rural (1991): urban 57.0%; rural 43.0%.
Gender distribution (1991): male 49.74%; female 50.26%.
Age breakdown (1991): under 15, 26.7%; 15-29, 24.1%; 30-44, 20.2%; 45-59,
13.8%; 60-74, 10.6%; 75 and over, 4.6%.
Population projection:2010 3,805,000.
Place of birth (1991): native born 93.5%; Eng. and Wales 3.6%; N.Ire.
1.0%.
Religious affiliation (1991): Roman Catholic 91.6%; Church of Ireland
(Anglican) 2.3%; Presbyterian 0.4%; other 5.7%.
Major cities (1991){3}: Dublin 477,675; Cork 127,024; Limerick 52,040;
Galway 50,842; Waterford 40,345.
Vital statistics
Birth rate per 1,000 population (1994): 13.4 (world avg. 26.0); legitimate
80.3%; illegitimate 19.7%.
Death rate per 1,000 population (1994): 8.6 (world avg. 9.2).
Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1994): 4.8 (world avg. 16.8).
Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1993): 1.9.
Life expectancy at birth (1990-92): male 72.3 years; female 77.9 years.
Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1994): heart and circulatory
diseases 392.1, of which ischemic heart disease 218.2; malignant neoplasms
(cancers) 205.6; respiratory disease 66.8, of which pneumonia 54.5.
National economy
Budget (1996).
Revenue: Ir 12,434,000,000 (income taxes 35.3%, value-added tax 25.1%,
excise taxes 17.9%).
Expenditures: Ir 15,141,000,000 (social welfare 28.8%, debt service 15.3%,
health 15.2%, education 13.9%).
Public debt (1994): U.S.$45,594,000,000.
Tourism (1994): receipts U.S.$1,765,000,000; expenditures U.S.$1,575,000,000.
Production (metric tons except as noted).
Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1994): sugar beets 1,390,000, barley 910,000,
potatoes 589,000, wheat 572,000, oats 128,000, milk 52,460,000 hectolitres;
livestock (number of live animals) 8,433,000 sheep, 7,065,000 cattle,
1,530,000 pigs; roundwood 2,047,000 cu m; fish catch 291,215.
Mining and quarrying (1994): gypsum 367,300; zinc ore 194,000{4}; lead
ore 53,700{4}.
Manufacturing (value added in Ir; 1990): metals and engineering goods
3,237,500,000; food products 1,828,300,000; chemical products 1,492,600,000;
paper, printing, and publishing 452,900,000; nonmetallic mineral products
441,400,000.
Construction (1994): residential 2,969,000 sq m; nonresidential 2,673,000
sq m.
Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1993) 16,416,000,000
(16,011,000,000); coal (metric tons; 1993) 1,000 (2,888,000); crude petroleum
(barrels; 1993) none (13,663,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1993)
1,857,000 (4,347,000); natural gas (cu m; 1993) 2,521,000,000 (2,521,000,000).
Gross national product (1994): U.S.$48,275,000,000 (U.S.$13,630 per
capita).
Population economically active (1995): total 1,423,000; activity rate
of total population 39.7% (participation rates: ages 15-64, 59.2%{5};
female 30.5%{5}; unemployed 13.5%).
Household income and expenditure.
Average household size (1991) 3.3; income per household: n.a.; sources
of income (1987): wages and salaries 58.6%, self-employment 13.3%, interest
and dividends 8.2%; expenditure (1994): food 26.6%, rent and household
goods 11.5%, transportation 10.5%.
Land use (1993): forest 4.6%; pasture 68.1%; agricultural 13.4%; other
13.9%.
Foreign trade{6}
Imports (1994): Ir 17,191,100,000 (machinery and transport equipment 38.5%,
chemicals 13.0%, manufactured goods 11.5%, food 8.1%, petroleum and petroleum
products 3.8%, crude materials [inedible] 2.3%, beverages and tobacco
1.2%).
Major import sources: U.K. 33.2%; U.S. 18.3%; Germany 7.1%; Japan 4.8%;
France 3.8%; The Netherlands 2.8%.
Exports (1994): Ir 22,789,600,000 (machinery and transport equipment 30.1%,
chemical products 20.8%, food 18.6%, manufactured goods 5.5%).
Major export destinations: U.K. 24.4%; Germany 14.1%; France 9.2%; U.S.
8.4%.
Transport and communications
Transport.
Railroads (1995): route length 1,947 km; passenger-km 1,260,300,000; metric
ton-km cargo 569,300,000.
Roads (1993): length 92,345 km (paved 94%).
Vehicles (1994): passenger cars 939,022; trucks and buses 147,719.
Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 189; total deadweight
tonnage 208,573.
Air transport (1995){7}: passenger-km 4,660,790,000; metric ton-km cargo
106,999,000; airports (1996) 9.
Communications.
Daily newspapers (1995): 6; total circulation 482,637; circulation per
1,000 population 135.
Radio (1995): 2,150,000 receivers (1 per 1.7 persons).
Television (1995): 1,000,000 receivers (1 per 3.6 persons).
Telephones (main lines; 1995): 1,262,000 (1 per 2.8 persons).
Education and health
Educational attainment (1991) Percentage of population age 15 and over
having: primary education or no schooling 33.7%; secondary 42.7%; some
postsecondary 12.6%; university or like institution 11.0%.
Literacy (1987): virtually 100% literate.
Health: physicians (1984) 5,180 (1 per 681 persons); hospital beds (1993)
13,806{8} (1 per 255 persons); infant mortality rate (1994) 5.9. Food
(1988-90): daily per capita caloric intake 3,952 (vegetable products 62%,
animal products 38%); 157% of FAO recommended minimum requirement.
Military
Total active duty personnel (1995): 12,900 (army 84.5%, navy 7.7%, air
force 7.8%).
Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1994): 1.3% (world 3.0%); per
capita expenditure U.S.$172.
Copyright 1994-1998 Encyclopaedia Britannica
