The Republic has the highest concentration of poverty among Western countries outside the US, according to a United Nations report published today. In spite of growing wealth and improving social services, the Human Development Report 1998 reveals wide disparities in the distribution of wealth within the State.
Irish women are worse off economically than in any other industrialised country. They are also less likely to hold positions of influence in business or politics. Functional illiteracy here is higher than in the 16 other industrialised states covered by the survey, and Irish long-term unemployment ranks second-highest.
The report, from the UN Development Programme, echoes the annual report of the Combat Poverty Agency published earlier this week. This said that up to one-third of the population is at risk of poverty, while 9 to 15 per cent live in persistent poverty.
Most of the data in the UN report comes from 1995, before the Celtic Tiger phenomenon took effect. Some indicators, such as unemployment, have improved since then, while others have remained static.
The Human Poverty Index (HPI) ranks Ireland 16th out of the 17 countries, with 15.2 per cent of the population in poverty. Only the US, with 16.5 per cent in poverty, is worse. The UK comes 15th and top of the list is Sweden, with a rating of 6.8 per cent.
The HPI was included in the report for the first time this year to expose internal disparities in wealth within the richer countries.
In the main measure of quality of life contained in the report, the Human Development Index, the State comes 17th out of 175 countries. This is the same as last year, and marks the end of a period of steady improvement in the rankings.
Since it was first compiled in 1990, HDI has become a widely accepted measure of quality of life. It is based not only on income levels but also on life expectancy and education levels.
For the fifth year in a row, Canada tops this index. Canadians rank first in overall health, general level of education and the degree to which an average person enjoys a decent standard of living. France and Norway follow in second and third places.
African countries occupy the bottom 15 places in the index. Sierra Leone comes last, but other politically unstable countries such as Rwanda are not listed this year because of the difficulties in gathering information.
The report says consumption, if properly regulated and directed, offers a route out of poverty for the world's poor. "For the more than one billion people living at or near the margin, increased consumption is essential. For those at the top, it has become a way of life," says the UNDP administrator, Mr Gus Speth.
Mr Speth says massive increases in consumption often place at risk those who benefit least in the first place. Thus, global warming caused by increases in carbon dioxide emissions primarily threaten the poor of low-lying developing countries such as Egypt and Bangladesh.
While consumption increases have proved "the life-blood of human advances", spending is misdirected. Europe spends £8 billion a year on ice-cream, when £6 billion would provide water and sanitation for all. Almost £12 billion is spent annually on pet food in Europe and the US, when £9 billion would provide basic health and nutrition for the poor.
According to the report, the wealth of the world's 225 richest people is equal to the annual income of half the world's population. The richest three people are wealthier than the poorest 48 countries.
