County Louth: Demographics and Statistics
Employers in County Louth are well placed to attract the best employees from a wide region encompassing North Dublin, Meath, Monaghan and parts of Northern Ireland. Because of its location employers have access to people from a wide range of nationalities, educational attainment, family arrangements and other diverse social factors.
Some of these factors have been researched and documented either by the CSO or as part of regional research undertaken by bodies like the County Louth Peace and Reconciliation Partnership.
The Celtic Tiger was marked by significant amount of inward migration of people seeking employment and better living arrangements. Since 2008 there is evidence of migrant workers leaving the country to seek employment elsewhere. In the report on Population & Migration Estimates released by the CSO in September 2009 the number of immigrants was declining rapidly and since that report there is increased evidence of migration of Irish nationals to other countries.
Figures from April 2009 indicate that East European Nationals account for nearly half of all persons emigrating from Ireland since the beginning of the downturn in the economy. Anecdotal evidence additionally suggests that single persons are most likely to move on but those with families more likely to remain in Ireland.
Some of this statistical information and research relevant to employers in the County is detailed in the tables below. Much of the information available is based on the 2006 census. Due to migration the actual number of persons in each category will have changed and in some cases changed significantly. The purpose of the tables, however, is to provide employers with an indication of the range of diversity amongst potential employees in the region and not to provide accurate counts of persons from a specific group.
[Click on each tab below to view corresponding statistical information.]
| Ethnic or Cultural Group | Co. Louth | % of county population | Total Ireland population |
| Irish | 98,664 | 89 | 3,645,199 |
| Irish Traveller | 419 | >1 | 22,369 |
| Other White | 5,208 | 5 | 289,041 |
| African Descent | 2,325 | 2 | 40,525 |
| Other Black | 130 | >1 | 3,793 |
| Chinese | 359 | >1 | 16,533 |
| Other Asian | 704 | 1 | 35,812 |
| Other (including mixed) | 992 | 1 | 46,438 |
| Not stated | 1,858 | 2 | 72,303 |
Source: Figures extracted from CSO Census 2006 Vol 5 Ethnic or Cultural Background, 2007
| 2002 | 2006 | |
| Louth | ||
| All religious denominations | 101,821 | 111,267 |
| Catholic | 93,228 | 99,678 |
| Church of Ireland | 1,590 | 1,759 |
| Presbyterian | 335 | 436 |
| Methodist | 182 | 194 |
| Jewish | 6 | 15 |
| Other | 2,550 | 4,078 |
| No religion | 2,420 | 3,338 |
| Not stated | 1,510 | 1,769 |
Source : CSO.ie
Age Profile of Co. Louth, CSO 2006
Distribution of Population, by Age and Sex in County Louth, 2006
Louth |
Ireland |
|||
total |
% of total persons |
total |
% of total persons |
|
Total persons with a disability |
10,414 |
9 |
393,785 |
9 |
|
total |
disability as % total disabilities |
total |
disability as % total disabilities |
Blindness and Deafness |
2,082 |
7 |
76,832 |
7 |
Limited basic physical activity |
4,842 |
17 |
177,085 |
16 |
Difficulty learning, remembering or concentrating |
2,783 |
10 |
113,133 |
10 |
Difficulty dressing, bathing, moving within the home |
2,272 |
8 |
88,318 |
8 |
Difficulty going outside the home alone |
3,023 |
10 |
117,171 |
10 |
Difficulty working/attending school/college |
3,700 |
13 |
140,910 |
13 |
Learning or Intellectual disability |
1,816 |
6 |
70,869 |
6 |
Psychological or emotional condition |
1,621 |
6 |
64,955 |
6 |
Difficulty participating in other activities |
3,563 |
12 |
135,988 |
12 |
Other including chronic illness |
3,342 |
12 |
134,517 |
12 |
Total disabilities |
29,044 |
100 |
1,119,778 |
100 |
Source: Figures extracted from CSO 2006
The term "dependency ratio" is a figure used to describe the proportion of the population that is available for work and those who are not. The dependency ratio is derived by expressing the young (aged 0 to 14 years) population and old (aged 65 years and over) population as a proportion of the population of working age (15 to 64 years). The ratio, which is expressed as a percentage, is important because as it increases, there is increased requirement on the working population to support the upbringing, pensions and care of the economically dependent population.
The table below outlines the dependency ratios for Louth and Ireland.
Louth has a similar dependency ratio (48%) to the national figure (46%).
| Geographic Region | Persons aged 0-14 & 65+ | Persons aged 15-64 | Dependency Ratio |
| Louth | 36,173 | 75,094 | 48 |
| Ireland | 1,332,375 | 2,907,473 | 46 |
Source: Figures extracted from CSO Census 2006 Principal Demographic Results, 2007
| Co. Louth | 2006 | |
|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | |
| All marital status | 55,335 | 55,932 |
| Single | 31,546 | 28,871 |
| Married | 20,538 | 20,328 |
| First marriage | 20,023 | 19,866 |
| Remarried following widowhood | 120 | 125 |
| Remarried following dissolution | 395 | 337 |
| Separated | 1,431 | 2,048 |
| Deserted | .. | .. |
| Marriage annulled | .. | .. |
| Legally separated | .. | .. |
| Other separated | .. | .. |
| Divorced | 744 | 895 |
| Widowed | 1,076 | 3,790 |
Source : CSO.ie
| Males | Females | Total Persons | |
| County Louth | 55,335 | 55,932 | 111,267 |
Source : CSO.ie
For a graphic repesentatoin of population distribution by age and sex please refer to the Age panel above.
Irish Travellers in Traveller households in each Province,County and City, classified by type of household
| Total Persons | |||||
| Total Households | Total | Permanent | Temporary | Not Stated | |
| Leinster | 2,281 | 9,743 | 6,143 | 2,835 | 495 |
| Co. Louth | 92 | 315 | 300 | 9 | 6 |
No information available at this time.
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This resource was developed as part of the Addressing Institutional Sectarianism and Racism Project supported by the European Union's PEACE III Programme as awarded by Louth Peace and Reconciliation Partnership. |
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