The European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey has revealed that in 2023 the material and social deprivation rate stood at 9.2%, down from 9.6% in 2022, whereas the severe material and social deprivation rate stood at 4.1%, down from 4.9%.

The National Statistics Office said that the survey showed that in 2023 the number of persons living in households which were materially and socially deprived stood at 48,969.

The number of persons living in households which were severely materially and socially deprived stood at 21,853.

In 2023 it was revealed that 159,485 persons lived in a household which couldn’t afford to pay for a one week’s annual holiday away from home, while 84,570 persons lived in households which couldn’t afford to face unexpected financial expenses of €770 and more.

It was found that the most frequently reported problems by households were pollution, grime or other environmental problems with 34.6%, and noise from neighbours or from the street with 30.5%.

European statistics on material deprivation are based on the perceived capacity, or otherwise, of households to afford a number of items from a set of 13 standard items. these standard items were established at European level as the most relevant components for the measurement of material and social deprivation.

From these components, two major constructs are derived from EU-SILC, being, the Material and Social Deprivation indicator, and the Severe Material and Social Deprivation indicator.

A person living in a household is deemed to be materially and socially deprived if this person does not afford at least five of the 13 material and social deprivation items, whereas those who do not afford at least seven of these items are considered to be severely materially and socially deprived.

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