CSO reports paint an interesting picture of progress and household expenditure in Ireland

The CSO has just published two interesting and timely reports, ‘Measuring Ireland’s Progress 2011’ and the ‘Household Budget Survey 2009-2010’ both of which give an interesting snapshot into how much progress Ireland is making on certain issues and into changes in household expenditure.

These reports provide details on (i) how Ireland is faring on a variety of issues in comparison with the EU in areas such as employment, housing and health and (ii) changes in household expenditure patterns between 2004-2005 and 2009-2010 and between 1980 and 2009-2010.

Points of note from Measuring Ireland’s Progress 2011

• Ireland was the fifth most expensive EU state in 2011 with prices 17% above the EU average.
• Ireland has the third highest debt/GDP ratio in the EU.
• Ireland’s unemployment rate is the fifth highest in the EU.

Points of note from Household Budget Survey 2009-2010

• Proportion of total household expenditure on Food dropped by almost 2% between 2004-2005 and 2009-2010.
• Proportion of total household expenditure on Housing increased by 6% in the same period.
• Average weekly expenditure on Fuel and Light is 15.3% higher than it was five years ago.

For further details on  'Measuring Ireland’s Progress 2011' click here

For further details on the 'Household Budget Survey 2009-2010' click here.