The latest Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) compiled by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows the median disposable household income reached €61,666 – an increase of €2,744 (or 4.7pc) compared with €58,922 the previous year.
When adjusted for inflation, real household income increased by 2.4pc.
The figures relate to data collected in the first seven months of 2025 and income received in the 2024 calendar year, the CSO said.
While there was an overall increase in household incomes, the gap between the rich and poor widened.
The gap between Ireland’s highest and lowest earning households remains stark, with the poorest 10pc of households bringing in €329 a week compared with €3,496 for the richest 10pc, according to the CSO.
The at-risk-of-poverty rate reached 12.6pc in 2025
So households in the top 10pc of earners bring in more than 10 times the income of those in the bottom decile.
Measures of income inequality also edged higher during the year.
The quintile share ratio, which compares the income of the richest 20pc of households with the poorest 20pc, rose slightly to 3.9 in 2025. The highest-income households earned almost four times as much as those in the lower income group.
The at-risk-of-poverty rate reached 12.6pc in 2025, compared with 11.7pc in 2024 and 10.6pc in 2023.
People living in rented or rent-free accommodation were more likely to be at risk of poverty at 24.2pc when compared with those living in owner-occupied accommodation at 7.4pc.
However, the figures suggest that cost-of-living supports played a role in reducing the scale of poverty.
The CSO estimated that without measures such as energy credits and additional welfare payments, the at-risk-of-poverty rate would have been 14.9pc instead of 12.6pc.
The measure of current hardship – described as consistent poverty – fell.
This indicator measures people who are both at risk of poverty and experiencing deprivation.
The consistent poverty rate stood at 4.7pc in 2025, slightly lower than 5pc recorded in 2024, though still higher than 3.6pc in 2023.
Behind this data is the lived reality for households across the country
Children continued to face higher levels of poverty than the population overall, the CSO said. Among those aged under 18, the consistent poverty rate was 7.8pc, though this was down from 8.5pc the previous year.
Households made up of a lone adult with children, or made up of a lone individual aged over 65 had the highest rates of poverty.
Strikingly, households made up of two adults where at least one is aged over 65 have the lowest rates of poverty, along with households made up of multiple adults sharing.
“Behind this data is the lived reality for people and households across the country. Struggling to make ends meet on fixed or low incomes and trying to cope with ongoing impact of the rising cost of household staples, further reducing the purchasing power of their income, and no sign of a fall in prices on the horizon,” said Susanne Rogers, research and policy analyst at Social Justice Ireland.
“Continued inflation means that the real value of household income is being eroded, placing households reliant on fixed incomes in a very precarious position,” Ms Rogers added.
The SILC survey is the measure of household income and living standards, collecting data on earnings from employment, social welfare and other sources.
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