THERE ARE MORE women than men living in Ireland, according to the Census 2016 results.
The figures, released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Thursday, show that, of the 4,761,865 people in Ireland on the night of the Census, 2,407,437 were female and 2,354,428 were male (a difference of 53,009).
Overall, there is a gender ratio of 97.8 males for every 100 females. When the last census was taken in 2011, there were 42,854 more females than males and a gender ratio of 98.1 to 100.
Due to higher male birth rates, more males than females can traditionally be found in the younger age groups. For example, in the groups under 19, there was an average of 104.6 males for every 100 females.
However, among the older age groups the opposite is true. Lower female mortality accounts for the higher proportion of women in those aged 65 and over, and this becomes more pronounced with increasing age.
There were just under 52 males for every 100 females in the 85+ age group. Age 45-49 is the most balanced group, with 99.7 men for every 100 women.
The average age of the population has continued to increase and was 37.4 in April 2016, compared with 36.1 five years earlier – a gain of 1.3 years. The average age has increased by 3.3 years over the 20 years since 1996, when it was 34.1 years.
While the total ratio of males to females has fallen between 2011 and 2016, this varies by age group. Among those aged 24 to 65, the ratio has fallen (proportionally fewer males than females), while among those aged 65 and over it has increased, reflecting decreasing male mortality rates.
This CSO said this trend is most evident in people aged 85 and over, where the ratio increased to 52 males per 100 females in 2016, compared to 46 males per 100 females in 2011.
In this age group, the male population increased by 24.8% to 23,062, while the female population increased by 11.4% to 44,493.
Meanwhile, the population aged over 65 has increased by 19.1% since 2011. In this group, the male population rose by 53,523 (22%) to 296,837, compared with an increase of 48,651 (16.7%) to 340,730 for females.
You can read more about the Census 2016 results here or on the CSO website.
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