Country Facts - Ireland

The People

Nationality Irish

Ethnic Composition

Celtic	99%
Other	1%

Religious Composition

Roman Catholic	91.6%
Church of Ireland	2.5%
Other and nonaffiliated	5.9%

Languages Spoken

English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard.

Education and Literacy

Education is compulsory for nine years. Adult literacy is 98 percent nationwide.

Labor Force

Total: 1.8 million (2001)
By occupation:

Services	63%
Industry	29%
Agriculture	8%

(2002)

Geography

Land Mass Total

27,135 sq mi (70,280 sq km)

Land

26,598 sq mi (68,890 sq km)

Water

536 sq mi (1,390 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 223 mi (360 km)

Border countries: United Kingdom 223 mi (360 km)

Coastline

899 mi (1,448 km)

Maritime claim

Continental shelf: not specified
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

Temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time.

Terrain

Level to rolling interior plains surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Atlantic Ocean 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Carrantuohill 3,415 ft (1,041 m)

Natural Resources

Zinc, lead, natural gas, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver

Land use

Arable land	19.49%
Permanent crops	0.04%
Other	80.47%

(1998 est.)

Natural hazards

Environment - current issues

Water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff.

Geography Note

Strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe; over 40 percent of the population resides within 60 mi (97 km) of Dublin.

Demographics

Population

3,924,140 (July 2003)

Age structure

0-14 years:	21.2%	male 427,017	female 404,191
15-64 years:	67.4%	male 1,322,982	female 1,322,429
65 years and over:	11.4%	male 194,724	female 252,797

(2003)

Growth Rate

1.03% (2003)

Life Expectancy

77.35 years (2003)
female: 80.31 years
male: 74.58 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$30,500 (2003)

Infant Mortality

5.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2003)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.07 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	1 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.77 male(s)/female
Total population:	0.98 male(s)/female

(2003)

Net migration rate

3.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003)

Economy & Trade

Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth that averaged a robust 9 percent in 1995-2001. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 38 percent of GDP, about 80 percent of exports, and employs 28 percent of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise in consumer spending and recovery in both construction and business investment. Over the past decade, the Irish government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb inflation, reduce government spending, increase labor force skills, and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in launching the euro currency system in January 1999 along with 10 other E.U. nations. The economy felt the impact of the global economic slowdown in 2001, particularly in the high-tech export sector. The growth rate was cut by nearly half as a downturn in demand for Ireland's "back office" commercial services dropped. Growth in 2002 dropped below the range. Indicators favor a continued rise in unemployment for 2003, especially in the commercial services sector. Tourism has been adversely affected by rising prices over the last six years. GDP growth will be further curtailed through 2004 making it possible for continental Europe to secure corporate tax "harmonization" with Ireland. This tax issue was first put on the table during Ireland's boom years when few Irish politicians were willing to tinker with the country's first blush of wealth. The accession of eastern European countries into the E.U. beginning in 2004 will further de-fang the "Celtic Tiger" of the 1990s.

Unemployment

4.3% (2002)

Inflation Rate

4.6% (2002)

Industries

Food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal, software

Exports

US$86.6 billion (f.o.b., 2002 est.)

Imports

US$48.6 billion (f.o.b., 2002 est.)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$135.2 billion (2002)

Top Export Partners

U.K. 23.9%, U.S. 18.1%, Germany 7.2%, France 5%, Japan 3.6%, Netherlands 3.3% (2002)

Top Import Partners

U.K. 35.9%, U.S. 15.8%, Belgium 14.4%, Germany 6.4%, France 4.1%, Italy 3.8%(2002)

Top Exports

Machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, live animals, animal products

Top Imports

Data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, petroleum products, textiles, clothing.

Debt - external

US$11 billion (1998)

Economic aid

Donor: ODA, $283 million (2001)

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	9a.m. to 5:30p.m.	Closed
Retail	9a.m. to 8p.m.	Slightly shorter hours on weekends.
Banks	10a.m. to 4p.m. In Dublin banks are open Thursday until 5p.m.	Closed
Government	9a.m. to 5p.m.	Closed

Note: Business hours in rural western Ireland are more attuned to local custom and seasonal needs....

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
St. Patrick's Day	March 17	March 17	March 17
Easter Monday	April 21	April 12	March 28
Bank Holiday² - May Day	May 5	May 3	May 2
Bank Holiday*²	June 2	June 3	June 6
Summer Bank Holiday*³	August 4	August 2	August 1
Bank Holiday**¹	October 27	October 28	October 31
Christmas Day**²	December 25	December 25	December 25
St. Stephen's Day	December 26	December 26	December 26

¹	Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate 13 days later.
²	First Monday in May.
*²	First Monday in June.
*³	First Monday in August.
**¹	Last Monday in October.
**²	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Unofficial Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
Good Friday	April 18	April 9	April 25
Easter¹	April 20	April 11	March 27
Christmas Eve	December 24	December 24	December 24

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press