Statistical information Ireland 1999

Ireland in the World
top of pageBackground: Growing Irish nationalism resulted in independence from the United Kingdom in 1921, with six largely Protestant northern counties remaining within the UK. After World War II bloody strife between Catholics and Protestants over the status of Northern Ireland cost thousands of lives. In 1998, substantial steps toward peace were agreed to by the British and Irish governments and the Roman Catholics and Protestants of Northern Ireland.
top of pageLocation: Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain
Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N, 8 00 W
Map reference:
EuropeAreaTotal: 70,280 km²
Land: 68,890 km²
Water: 1,390 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundariesTotal: 360 km
Border countries: (1) UK 360 kmCoastline: 1,448 km
Maritime claimsContinental shelf: not specified
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
Terrain: mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Carrauntoohill 1,041 m
Natural resources: zinc, lead, natural gas, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver
Land useArable land: 13%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 68%
Forests and woodland: 5%
Other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA km²
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: NA
GeographyNote: strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides within 97 km of Dublin
top of pagePopulation: 3,632,944 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 0.38% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%
NationalityNoun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(men), Irish (collective plural)
Adjective: Irish
Ethnic groups: Celtic, English
Languages: English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard
Religions: Roman Catholic 92%, Anglican 3%, Islamic 0.11%, Jehovah's Witness 0.1%, Jewish 0.04%, other 4.75% (1991)
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 21% (male 399,379; female 377,366)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,232,072; female 1,213,364)
65 years and over: 12% (male 174,519; female 236,244) (1999 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 0.38% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 13.58 births/1000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 8.43 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.31 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation, Tropical Timber 94
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 5.94 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 76.39 years
Male: 73.64 years
Female: 79.32 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.81 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98% (1981 est.)
Male: NA%
Female: NA%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Ireland
Government type: republic
Capital: Dublin
Administrative divisions: 26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow
Dependent areasIndependence: 6 December 1921 (from UK)
National holiday: Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March
Constitution: 29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite
Legal system: based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997)
Head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 31 October 1997 (next to be held NA November 2004); prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the president
Election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote_Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats_49 elected by the universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational panels, 11 are nominated by the prime minister; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
Elections: Senate_last held NA August 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); House of Representatives_last held 6 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)
Election results: Senate_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_NA; House of Representatives_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_Fianna Fail 76, Fine Gael 53, Labor Party 19, Progressive Democrats 4, Democratic Left 4, Greens 2, Sinn Fein 1, independents 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president on the advice of the government (prime minister and cabinet)
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador Sean O'HUIGINN
In the us chancery: 2,234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 462-3,939
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 232-5,993
In the us consulates general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michael SULLIVAN
From the us embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [353] (1) 6,688,777
From the us FAX: [353] (1) 6,689,946
Flag description
: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and has the colors reversed_orange (hoist side), white, and green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging 9.5% in 1995-98. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 39% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and employs 28% of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise in consumer spending and recovery in both construction and business investment. Over the past decade, the Irish government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb inflation, reduce government spending, and promote foreign investment. Although the unemployment rate has been halved, it remains high, and job creation is a primary concern of government policy. Recent efforts have concentrated on improving workers qualifications and the education system. Ireland joined in launching the euro currency system in January 1999 along with 10 other EU nations.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 9.5% (1998 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $18,600 (1998 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 7%
Industry: 39%
Services: 54% (1997)
Agriculture products: turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products
Industries: food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal
Industrial production growth rate: 15.8% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 1.52 million (1997 est.)
By occupation services: 62.1%
By occupation manufacturing and construction: 27%
By occupation agriculture forestry and fishing: 10%
By occupation utilities: 0.9% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate: 7.7% (1998 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty line: NA%
Gini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $23.5 billion
Expenditures: $20.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1998)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $60.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Commodities: chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery, live animals, animal products (1997)
Partners: EU 67% (UK 24%, Germany 12%, France 8%), US 11% (1997)
Imports: $43.7 billion (c.i.f., 1998)
Commodities: food, animal feed, data processing equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing (1997)
Partners: EU 55% (UK 34%, Germany 6%, France 6%), US 15% (1997)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $11 billion (1998)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Irish pounds (£Ir) per US$1_0.6815 (January 1999), 0.7014 (1998), 0.6588 (1997), 0.6248 (1996), 0.6235 (1995), 0.6676 (1994)
Note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed rate of 0.78764 Irish pounds per euro; the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002
top of pageElectricityProduction: 17.843 billion kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 95.83%
Production by source hydro: 3.99%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0.18% (1996)
Consumption: 17.743 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 200 million kWh (1996)
Imports: 100 million kWh (1996)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 900,000 (1987 est.)
Telephone system: modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay
Domestic: microwave radio relay
International: satellite earth station_1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $771 million (1997)
Percent of gdp: 1% (1997)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 44 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 16
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 7 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 28
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 25 (1998 est.)
HeliportsPipelines: natural gas 225 km
RailwaysTotal: 1,947 km
Broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (38 km electrified; 485 km double track) (1996)
RoadwaysWaterways: limited for commercial traffic
Merchant marineTotal: 31 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 79,284 GRT/117,652 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 28, container 2 (1998 est.)
Ports and terminalsIreland - Transnational issues 1999
top of pageDisputes international: Northern Ireland issue with the UK (historic peace agreement signed 10 April 1998; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area)
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs; transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for Western Europe