The Dublin region remains Ireland's richest area, but the south-east has replaced the Border counties as the State's poorest region, according to new data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The CSO's latest County Incomes and Regional GDP report also finds that Dublin is the most productive area in the country, followed by the south-west.
According to the release, average national incomes in Dublin were 11.8 per cent higher than the national average in 2004. This compares with a position of 13 per cent higher in 2003.
Incomes in the south-east region - counties Waterford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford and South Tipperary - were just 91.2 per cent of the national average in 2004, the poorest performance of any region.
The relative position of the Border region - counties Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan and Sligo - has increased marginally. From being 90.9 per cent of the national average in 2003, relative incomes rose to 92.3 per cent in 2004.
Dublin's Gross Value Added per person - a measure of how much a region produces as distinct from its income levels - was 33.3 per cent above the national average in 2004, suggesting a significant transfer of income from Dublin to other areas. Cork and Kerry produced 22.3 per cent more per person than the national average output, but received 2.6 per cent less in income.
