Number of poor households escalates in 2019, says CSO

The proportion of households that are considered to be marginalised or deprived because they cannot afford goods and services that are considered to be societal norms rose last year, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

In 2019, 17.8 per cent of the population was defined as living in enforced deprivation, compared with 15.1 per cent in 2018 and a high of 30.5 per cent in 2013.

Enforced deprivation is defined as a household which experiences two or more “deprivation items”, such as being unable to heat their home, being unable to afford a roast once a week, or being unable to afford a warm, waterproof jacket.

Most socio-demographic groups experienced an increase in enforced deprivation rates year-on-year in 2019, according to the CSO.

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The largest year-on-year increase in the enforced deprivation rate was among those living in rented accommodation, rising from 27.4 per cent in 2018 to 34.4 per cent in 2019.

In comparison, for those living in owner-occupied accommodation, there was little year-on-year change deprivation rate, which stood at 10.3 per cent in 2019 and 10 per cent in 2018.

The highest enforced deprivation rates were among people living in households with one adult and one or more children aged under 18 (45.4 per cent), and those not at work due to permanent illness or disability (43.3 per cent).

Meanwhile, the lowest enforced deprivation rates were among the retired at 9.4 per cent, households with three or more persons at work at 7.4 per cent, and those with a third-level degree or higher at 5.3 per cent.

The most common types of deprivation experienced by Irish households in 2019 were an inability to afford to replace worn out furniture (18.1 per cent), being unable to afford to meet family or friends for a drink or a meal once a month (13.6 per cent) and an inability to afford a morning, afternoon or evening out in the last fortnight (11.7 per cent).

How have women fared?

While there has been a slight increase in the proportions experiencing most types of deprivation in 2019 compared to 2018, there has been a general downward trend on figures reported since the peak in 2013.

Since 2004, women have consistently been more likely than men to experience enforced deprivation, the CSO report states.

In 2019, 18.3 per cent of females and 17.4 per cent of males experienced enforced deprivation, compared to 15.6 per cent and 14.7 per cent respectively in 2018.

In terms of age breakdown, children under the age of 18 were most likely to be living in enforced deprivation, while those aged 65 and over were the least likely.

In 2019, 23.3 per cent of persons aged under 18 were living in enforced deprivation, compared to 17.1 per cent of persons aged 18-64 and 11.2 per cent of persons aged 65 and over.

However, all age groups saw an increase in enforced deprivation rates compared to 2018.