A new release by the Central Statistics Office gives some fascinating perspectives on the changes in Ireland over the 50 years of EU membership. Life expectancy has risen from 71 to 81.5 years, incomes per head have increased fourfold and the number of people at work has grown from just over 1 million to more than 2.5 million. The average house price has risen from £7,095 (€9,000) to around €320,000 now.
Cultural change, too, can be reflected in facts and data, all telling their own parts of the story of a more open, diverse and secular country. The most common baby names 50 years ago were Mary and John and today are Emily and Jack. There are now about 470,000 non-nationals in the labour force, compared to 50,000 in 1988, before the big inward flow during the Celtic Tiger years. The average age of marriage has risen from the mid-20s to the mid-30s. A Catholic church ceremony is still the most popular choice, but represents 42 per cent of total marriages now compared to 96 per cent in 1973.
Not all these changes can be attributed to EU membership, of course. But there can be no doubt of the political significance of the decision to join in 1973, nor of its central role in economic and social development.
The CSO figures show, above all, the enormous economic impact of EU membership, based on access to the Single Market. Remarkably, goods exports have risen from €1.1 billion per annum in 1973 to €208.6 billion, fuelled by the arrival of big multinationals. Meanwhile, service exports have surged, driven by the ICT sector. Food and drink exports have fallen from 41 per cent of the annual total of goods sold overseas to just 7 per cent, with massive pharma exports now accounting for more than 60 per cent of the annual total.
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It can be difficult to get a precise measure of economic progress over the period, given the distortion of Ireland’s economic data. So while the growth in Ireland’s GDP as a share of the EU total from 0.6 per cent in 1973 to 3.2 per cent today overstates the real gains, there is still no doubt that the economy has been fundamentally transformed. A small trade deficit in 1973 has turned into a surplus of over ¤65 billion. And this has supported rising living standards in a population up from under 3 million in 1973 to 5.25 million now.
Inflation of more than 1,000 per cent over the 50 years also makes comparisons difficult. The price of a dozen eggs has risen from the equivalent of 39 cent to €4.44. The price of a white sliced pan has gone up from 15 cent to €1.68. While inflation has soared over the past year, the most sustained period of price rises was during the early 1980s. Once this ended, Ireland’s economy really started to progress and social change soon followed. Amid the normal debates on current policy, this longer-term perspective is invaluable.