Ireland most youthful country in Europe
Ireland is the most youthful country in Europe, according to new figures from Eurostat.
We have the largest proportion of children under the age of 15, at 22%.
France is next on almost 19%, followed by the UK.
Ruth Deasy of the EU office in Dublin, says the number of people in Ireland under the age of 30 is exceptional.
"Ireland stands out in this study as the most youthful country in the EU, where four out of 10 Irish people are aged less than 30 and this is really quite exceptional," said Deasy.
"We also have the largest proportion of under-16s in the EU and by quite a large margin.
"Ireland's fertility rate is high, it is the highest in the EU but it is still slightly below replacement level," said Deasy.
