Are you from a place of 'disadvantage' or 'affluence' in Donegal? - check here

The Pobal HP Deprivation Index was recently released and it shows a breakdown from the very affluent to extremely disadvantaged areas in Donegal. 

The index is based on census data and it is Ireland’s primary social gradient tool for identifying geographic disadvantage.

The Pobal HP Deprivation Index used data from the 2022 Census, analysing ten measures of an area’s level of disadvantage, which are known as indicators. These include but are not limited to educational attainment, employment status, population change and the numbers living in individual households. 

The indicators are used to calculate the percentage data for the area. The data can also be extracted for further analysis through the geoprofiling viewer and compared between the 2022 Index Census and the three previous editions which are 2006, 2011 and 2016.

The results displayed that almost 19,000 small areas, including 720 in Donegal, (50-200 households) were indexed leading to the development of a detailed map of the relative affluence and disadvantage.

Click here to see your distinct region on the Pobal HP Deprivation Index

The ‘affluent’ areas of Donegal were shown to be: Greencastle; Coolmore (situated between Donegal Town and Ballyshannon); large areas of Donegal Town such as Raforker, Lurganboy, Drumgowan and Tully; areas of Letterkenny such as Loughnagin and Kiltoy; areas of Dunfanaghy such as Parkmore, Marblehill, Ards and Ballymore Lower.

The ‘extremely disadvantaged’ areas of Donegal were displayed as parts of Lifford including Ballindrait and Croaghan Heights; Raphoe’s Railway Road, Meadow Hill; and Killygordon. 

“The 2022 Pobal HP Deprivation Index is created to inform national policy and ensure that resources can be properly directed to where they are most needed,” Anna Shakespeare, CEO of Pobal said.

“There has been an overall improvement for the majority of communities in Ireland, however, we must also recognise that this is not being experienced equally.

“At Pobal, we are committed to working on behalf of the government to support communities to combat disadvantage. 

“This tool helps to create an understanding of the challenge of disadvantage and where it is prevalent, which is an important step towards achieving social inclusion for all.”

The index shows Donegal was ranked the most disadvantaged and Kildare scored 3.11 which is the highest, meaning it was ranked as the most affluent county in Ireland. The report is utilised to identify the areas of disadvantage which require additional resources and promote social inclusion. 

Donegal received a Pobal HP Index of -5.60, meaning the county is marginally below the national average. However, the previous index released was in 2016 where Donegal scored -6.42 therefore, the 2022 census saw an improvement. 

Overall,  the Pobal HP Deprivation Index found a nationwide improvement in measures such as employment and population growth, with levels largely returning to those observed in 2006, however, persistent disadvantage remains for many communities. 

The 2022 data displayed the disparity between the nation's most deprived regions and the overall average has increased, suggesting that inequality in Ireland is widening.