Over 350,000 people in rural Ireland are at risk of poverty, according to Social Justice Ireland.

The independent think tank has said that the recent CSO figures on income and living conditions show that the number of people living in consistent poverty in rural Ireland has more than doubled since 2008 and now stands at over 194,000 people.

The median disposable income of households in rural Ireland fell by almost 3 percentage points between 2012 and 2013, it says.

It goes on to say that the deprivation rate in rural Ireland was 31% in 2013. This means that over 560,000 people in rural Ireland could not afford the basics, it says.

“There are approximately 350,154 people in rural Ireland living in poverty” said Michelle Murphy, Research and Policy Analyst with Social Justice Ireland.

“This means that over 350,000 people in rural Ireland are surviving on incomes of less than €10,453 per annum.

“This situation is simply unacceptable and highlights the consequences of successive government’s inaction on the challenges facing rural Ireland.”

The number of people in rural Ireland living in consistent poverty has more than doubled since 2008 and now stands at 194,127 people.
The deprivation rate in rural Ireland increased dramatically by 5 percentage points between 2012 and 2013. This means that over 560,000 people in rural Ireland cannot afford the goods and services considered the norm for other people in society.

Household incomes in rural Ireland are falling. The disposable income (that is income after tax and any social welfare transfers) of households in rural Ireland fell by almost 3 percentage points between 2012 and 2013.

“Government must act now to address the growing urban rural divide. The recommendations of the CEDRA Report must be implemented immediately, and significant investment focussed on creating sustainable employment in rural towns and communities must be made available” – Michelle Murphy, Social Justice Ireland.