Irish people are healthier, wealthier and better educated than ever before. Yet they are also saddled with record debt, increased crime and relatively high levels of poverty.
These are among the findings contained in the Central Statistics Office's Statistical Yearbook of Ireland 2007*, which bring together findings across a range of topics over the past year.
Among the areas that has been transformed in recent years is the workforce, with two million people in employment last year, compared to 1.1 million 20 years ago. The numbers unemployed fell from 225,400 to 91,400 over the same period.
The make-up of the workforce has also changed, with more than half (52 per cent) of women now in paid employment, up from 44 per cent in 1998.
Earnings have also increased significantly in recent times, with the average annual industrial wage now at €31,252.
Last year, average weekly earnings in the public sector were highest among gardaí and prison officers, at €1,170 and €1,149 respectively.
Earnings in secondary education averaged €999 per week, an increase of 3 per cent on 2005.
Outside of the public service, average earnings vary significantly. In the construction sector, for example, the figure is €767, an increase of almost 2 per cent over 2006 and 7 per cent over 2005.
Earnings were much lower in the manufacturing industries, where average weekly earnings for 2006 were €575. The relatively low rate of pay is affected by the high rate of part-time work in the sector.
While there has also been rapid social change, traditional barriers to equality are very much alive.
For example, the average weekly income for women is still only 75 per cent of that for male employees.
The wealth generated by years of successful business at home and abroad has not reached everyone. Some 19 per cent of the population - 847,969 people - were estimated to be at risk of poverty, or living on up to €193 a week. A further 7 per cent - 296,789 - were considered to be in consistent poverty.
There are also significant levels of debt in society. Personal lending by banks and financial institutions has more than trebled from €39 billion in 2000 to €134 billion in 2006.
Of those who took out SSIAs, not everyone was content to pay their debts. When a total of €15 billion finally matured, one-third of savers spent the cash on home improvements, foreign holidays and cars.
Statistics also show that the health of the nation appears to be improving. Irish people are living longer, with the death rate falling steadily and life expectancy up to 81 years for women and 76 years for men.
The number of people getting illness, disability and caring payments rose by 43 per cent between 1999 and 2006, with €13 billion spent on social welfare.
Crime is also on the increase. A total of 103,924 headline offences were recorded in 2006, up from 102,258 in 2005.
There also appear to be improvements in education standards, with almost a quarter of those aged 15-64 in 2006 holding a third-level qualification. Females are more likely to go on to higher or further education.
The traditional family unit is also changing dramatically with divorce rates rising, family sizes shrinking and the number of unmarried cohabiting couples increasing.
Falling fertility is affecting family size, with the average number of children per family declining from 2.2 in 1986 to 1.4 last year.
* The CSO'sStatistical Yearbook of Ireland 2007 can be downloaded from its website at www.cso.ie
