Dún Laoghaire Rathdown (DLR) is a county of contrasts. Located to the south and south east of Dublin city, it has both urban and rural areas and boasts access to the mountains as well as the sea. 218,018 people live in the county, making it the sixth largest local authority area in the Republic of Ireland. For several years, DLR has been recognised as one of the most affluent counties in Ireland. However, this prosperity is not shared equally by all the population and what we see is that specific areas of DLR continue to be more vulnerable to higher unemployment levels, lower incomes, and economic contractions, resulting in a risk of continuing pockets of increased deprivation levels within some communities.
Pockets of inequality in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown
‘A TALE OF TWO CITIES’
The total population of DLR, recorded in the 2016 Census, is 218,018. The population in our selected areas is 10,289, which represents 4.7% of the total.
As we can see from the image in the Map, the pockets of inequality are dispersed throughout the county. However, there is a bigger concentration in the south east comprising the areas of Loughlinstown, Ballybrack, Rathsallagh and Shanganagh (previously known as the Rapid Area).
Key Socio-economic Indicators for Dún Laoghaire Rathdown (2016 Census)
| Indicator | DLR | Dublin | State |
| POPULATION INDICATORS | |||
| Population | 218,018 | 1,347,359 | 4,757,976 |
| % of males | 48.0% | 48.9% | 49.4% |
| % of females | 52.0% | 51.1% | 50.6% |
| % of population aged 0-14 years | 18.0% | 19.3% | 21.0% |
| % of population aged 65 years and over | 15.9% | 12.0% | 13.4% |
| LABOUR FORCE INDICATORS | |||
| Total Population at work | 95,925 | 614,776 | 2,006,641 |
| Labour Force Participation Rate | 58% | 64% | 61% |
| Unemployment rate – Total | 7.4% | 11.6% | 12.9% |
| EDUCATION INDICATORS | |||
| % of Population aged 15+ with Education to Primary Level only | 6.6% | 11.5% | 13.3% |
| % of Population aged 15+ with Education to Upper Secondary | 32.4% | 42.6% | 48.6% |
| % of Population aged 15+ with Education to Third Level | 57.7% | 40.7% | 33.4% |
| SOCIAL INCLUSION INDICATORS | |||
| One Parent Family Ratio | 15.4% | 23.5% | 20.0% |
| % Local Authority Housing 2016 | 5.9% | 9.3% | 8.4% |
| % of population from the Traveller Community | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.7% |
| % of population from New Communities | 11.6% | 15.1% | 11.6% |
| % of Population with a Disability | 12.5% | 13.1% | 13.5% |
Comparison of socio-economic indicators between DLR county average and selected areas experiencing inequality (2016 Census)
In recognition of this difference, Southside Partnership DLR, uses a targeted approach, working with specific groups in the county that are at greater risk of poverty, exclusion or disadvantage and working in specific locations in the county where we find higher levels of unemployment, a greater concentration of jobless households, bigger numbers of people with lower levels of education and more people struggling to ‘make ends meet’.