Irish Lifestyle changes over the last 100 years

The Central Statistics Office have released a fascinating infographic that shows just how much has changed in Ireland in the last 100 years.

Of course, back in the 1910s Ireland was still a part of the UK, with the Easter Rising and the War of Independence still to come.

As well as the huge political change that saw the birth of the Republic of Ireland, the country also saw plenty of changes in the behaviours and lifestyles of its population.

The first big change is simply the size of Ireland’s population. It rose by 46% from 3.14 million to 4.59 million from the years 1911-2011.

The majority of the changes over the century have been positive, particularly with regards to life expectancy.

The life expectancy for people born in 1911 was just 53.6 years for men and 54.1 for women. Now the average man can expect to live until the age of 78.3 years and the average for women is 82.7 years.

Infant mortality figures have also dropped greatly. In 1911 there were 81 deaths per 1,000 infants aged under 12 months – that figure had fallen to 3.7 per 1,000 in 2014.

The death rate for the whole population has also fallen. While in 1916 there were 16.1 deaths per 1,000, that number had fallen to just 6.3 per 1,000in 2014.
However, it isn’t all good news. Sadly Ireland’s suicide rate has risen by 675% – from 68 in 1916 to 459 in 2014.

Emigration numbers have also skyrocketed. 1911 saw 7,302 people leave the country. This number had risen to 80,900 in 2015.

Other interesting statistics include the rise of car ownership and the fall in Catholic marriages from the 1910s to 2014.

Take a look at the infographic below.

For more stats comparing the 1910s to the 2010s visit the Central Statistics Office website.

Infographic shows how much life in Ireland has changed in 100 years

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