Almost one in ten of the State's population has a long-term health problem or disability, according to figures released today.
Census figures for 2006 published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) reveal that almost 394,000 people in the April 2006 survey said they had such a health problem or disability.
The incidence of disability in 2006 was higher among females than males (9.6 per cent compared with 9 per cent).
According to the CSO, this is linked directly to lower mortality among women, especially among those age 75 and over, and the "strong link between disability and age".
The number of people with a disability increased in every five-year age group from 15-19 up to 80-84 for both males and females. Nearly two thirds of those with a disability were aged 50 or over.
The census also revealed that among children aged up to 14, the number of boys with a disability was far higher than the number of girls, at 21,183 compared with 12,073.
About 78,000 workers, or 4 per cent of the number of people at work, had a long-lasting health problem or disability in 2006.
This increased from 45,000 workers or 2.7 per cent of the population in the 2002 census, due to the inclusion of new categories in the disability question, the CSO said.
In relation to the number of carers in the State, almost 161,000 people aged 15 years and over provided regular unpaid personal help for a friend or family member with a long-term illness, health problem or disability. The number in 2002 was 149,000.
Women accounted for over 100,000 (or 62 per cent) of the 2006 total, and over half of them were in their forties or fifties. More women than men were carers in all age groups apart from the very old.