222 carers in Meath under 15 providing regular unpaid care

The latest Census publication from the Central Statistics Office shows that there were more than 11,800 unpaid carers in Meath in April 2022. This amounts to five per cent of the county's population compared to four per cent in 2016.

Nationally there were almost 300,000 unpaid carers, or six per cent of the population, up from four per cent in the previous census.

Females in the county were more likely to be carers than males, with 61 per cent of all carers being female, a similar trend to the national figure. There were 7,294 female carers (seven percent of all females), compared with 4,601 male carers (four per cent of all males) in Meath.

There were 222 carers in Meath under 15 years of age providing regular unpaid care which was an increase on 2016 when there were 156 young carers.

As well as the growth in the number of carers, the period between 2016 and 2022 also saw some notable increases in the hours of unpaid care provided. The number of carers in Meath providing 43 or more hours of unpaid help each week almost doubled, from 1,666 in 2016 to 3,475 in 2022.

The figures were included in the latest themed report 'Profile 4- Disability, Health and Carers' from the CSO. The results also show that in April 2022 in Meath, more than 43,000 people or 20 per cent of the county's population reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to a great extent or a lot. A further 28,325 people (13 per cent of the county’s population) reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to some extent or a little.

The general health question had five response options on the census form ranging from very good, good, fair, bad to very bad. More than 191,400 people (87 per cent) in the county stated their health was very good or good in Census 2022. This was down from 90 per cent in Census 2016 and 91 per cent in Census 2011. Nationally, 83 per cent of people had good or very good health, down from 87 per cent in 2016 and 88 per cent in 2011.

Among the county’s females, 63,192 (57 per cent) reported very good health, along with 57 per cent of males (62,905).

There were also 3,186 people who reported bad or very bad health in the county, up from 2,414 people in 2016.

In last year's Census there was a new question regarding smoking habits. In Meath, more than 18,400 people smoked daily in April 2022 which was eight per cent of the population compared with nine per cent nationally. Just over 8,600 people (four per cent) smoked occasionally while almost 41,000 (19 per cent) people had given up smoking. More than 141,400 people stated they never smoked (64 per cent). Nationally, 60 per cent of the population never smoked.

The number of males in the county who smoked daily was greater than the number of females (10,608 males compared with 7,860 females).

Commenting on the results, Sheelagh Bonham, Statistician in the Census Division, said: “Census 2022 Profile 4 provides data and analysis on the long-lasting conditions or difficulties experienced by people, the health of the nation, and on carers providing unpaid care.

In Census 2022, the two questions (Q15 and Q16) on long-lasting conditions and difficulties were revised to allow people to indicate the extent to which they experienced them which has helped to provide greater insights into the topic.

"The results provide vital data to help track the key developments in these areas. Included for the first time, as a result of a new question in Census 2022, is information on smokers, including how often people smoke and how many people have given it up.”