CSO yearbook statistics show significant increase in Donegal’s population

The Central Statistics Office has released its Statistical Yearbook of Ireland 2013 today.
It provides detailed information on a range of topics including population, the labour force and statistics on housing.
The figures show that at the last census, the population of Donegal stood at just over 161 thousand; this is an increase of 9.4% over 4 years and above the national population increase of 8.2%.
In Donegal in 2012 there was 1,117 deaths recorded, this compares to a birth rate of 2,104.
The county is made up of almost exactly 50% women and 50% men.
The figures from the CSO also include details on car and computer ownership.
In 2012 there were just over 2,000 new cars registered in Donegal, this a drop of half compared to 2003 and just a third of the peak figure recorded in 2007.
Computer ownership figures, which pre-date the Rural Broadband scheme, show that of the 58 thousand households in Donegal in 2011, one third said they did not own a personal computer – 38 thousand had an internet or broadband connection, but 20 thousand homes had no internet access at all.