Celtic culture and language forms an important part of national identity. The Irish Travellers are an ethnic minority group. For centuries a nation of emigrants, Ireland from the 1990s has attracted immigrants from a number of nations both within Europe and elsewhere.
General demographicsPopulation:
Age structure: Population growth rate: 2.5% (2006) Birth rate: 15.2 births/1,000 population (2006) Death rate: 6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2006) Net migration rate: 11.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 Census) Sex ratio: Infant mortality rate:
Life expectancy at birth: Total fertility rate: 1.90 children born/woman (2006) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 2,400 (2001 est.) Nationality: Nationalities in Ireland: Irish (including dual-Irish/other): 88.9%, UK: 2.7%, Other EU 25: 3.9%, Other Europe: 0.6%, Africa: 0.8%, Asia: 1.1%, USA: 0.3%, Other countries: 0.5%, Multiple nationality: 0.1%, No nationality: 0.0%, Not stated: 1.1% (2006) Ethnic groups: Irish (of largely Gaelic stock, with Norse, Norman, English, Scottish, Welsh, and French admixture), Irish Travellers, Ulster-Scots and various immigrant populations - the largest immigrant groups, with over 10,000 people, are the English and Welsh, Poles, Americans, Lithuanians, Scots, Nigerians, Latvians, Germans and the Chinese.[1] Ethnic backgrounds: White: 94.8% (including 0.5% Irish Traveller), Asian: 1.3%, Black: 1.1%, Other/Mixed: 1.1%, Not Stated: 1.7% (2006) Religions: Roman Catholic 86.8% (however, only 48% attend services as of 2001[2]), No Religion 6.2%, Church of Ireland 3.0%, Islam 0.8%, Presbyterian 0.6%, Orthodox 0.5%, Methodist 0.3%, Other 2.1% (2006) Geographic Population Distribution:
Population pyramid of Ireland, 2001
Languages: English is the most commonly used language, with 94%[3] of the population calling it their mother tongue. Irish, the first official language of the state, is spoken by 42%[4]; with 11%[5] calling it their mother tongue. Irish is the main language of the Gaeltacht regions, where 91,862 people live. Shelta and Ulster-Scots are also spoken by small communities. The main sign language used is Irish Sign Language. Literacy: See also
External linksReferences
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