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Poorer households spend more on basic necessities

In 2023, households in the top 20% of the income distribution had gross disposable incomes twice the national average of €83,058, CSO data shows.

Households in the bottom 20% had gross disposable incomes which were more than two-fifths (42%) of the national average.

In 2023, the top 20% of households had gross disposable incomes which were nearly five times (4.7) higher than the bottom 20% of households, down from a peak of 5.6 times higher in 2014.

Compensation

The most important source of income for all income groups, or quintiles of the income distribution, was compensation of employees in 2023.

Households in the top 20% of the income distribution consumed twice as much as the bottom 20% of households in 2023.

Expenditure on essentials such as food, beverages, housing, and energy accounted for 46% of expenditure for households in the bottom 20% of the income distribution in 2023.

For the top 20%, the figure was lower at 34%.

In 2023, the bottom 40% of households in the income distribution had negative savings as did households which rented their dwelling.