CSO confirms Ireland's weather getting wetter
You're not imagining it: things are getting more expensive.
That is according to the CSO's 2019 Facts and Figures release, which also tells us that 1% of all newborns have the last name Murphy, Spain is the overseas destination where we spend the most nights, more than 1200mm of rain fell last year, and you are likely to have a higher weekly income if you are aged 40 to 49 or live in Dublin.
The data release is comprised of information published by the CSO throughout the year and is designed as a simple, colourful guide to Ireland in 2019.
It indicates that the population could pass the 5 million mark in 2020 if growth continues. As it stands, the estimated population of Ireland reached 4,921,500 at the end of 2019. The last time the population was recorded as above five million was in a census taken just after the Great Famine in 1851.
The number of births is reducing: there were 61,016 registered births, some 23.2% lower than the total of 2008.
In terms of names, Jack and Emily remain the most popular but the likes of Frankie, Freddie, Theodore, Ada, Bella, Bonnie and Ivy are among the new arrivals in the top 100.
The top three most common surnames for babies registered last year were Murphy (686 or 1.1%), Kelly (584 or 1%) and Ryan (498 or 0.8%).
Our weekly earnings may be increasing but a lot of it depends on location and age.
Those aged 40-49 have the highest median weekly income at €718.46, with 15-24-year-olds at the lowest end of the scale, earning an average of €294.15.
This can change based on industry - information and communication workers could pocket €991.18 per week in comparison to €313.59 for those in the accommodation or food service sector - and location, with Dublin residents earning a median of €645.78 in comparison to €510.38 in the border region.
Increasing wages will be good news for many shoppers, who will have noticed a hit to their pocket as the price of many every day items increases.
A 2.5kg bag of potatoes has increased by 4% to €3.31, for example. Diesel and petrol are more expensive than they were in 2017, too, while essential items like milk and butter are increasing by 0.2% and 5.8%, respectively.
While some items - 1kg of striploin steak, 1kg of fresh hake, mushrooms and cheddar cheese - have decreased in price, other luxury items like stout, cigarettes, men's haircuts and even cinema tickets have increased in price by between 2.6% and 5.9%, according to the Consumer Price Index.
But despite having to fork out a little more for potatoes and petrol, we are still finding time for overseas trips.
Irish residents spent a whopping 15 million nights on holiday in Spain. It was part of the 5.155 million outbound trips taken by Irish residents, accounting for a total spend of some €4.9 billion. We also spent €1.2 billion on domestic holidays.
There are 2.6 million driving licences and learner permits in the country, with 73,194 of these held by persons aged 80 and over. Some 240,064 learner permits were issued in 2018.
Overall, there were 136,316 driving tests conducted in 2018, with an average pass rate of 52.5%. There were 15,523 applicants who didn’t keep their appointments in 2018 and 31,749 applicants on waiting lists at the end of the year.
