Demographics And The Celtic Tiger
There are many explanations for what contributed to the economic growth of Ireland. One explanation that is being examined further is that there is a link between demographic change and economic growth. In the past, the thinking has been that demographic change does not have an affect on economic growth, but in the case of Ireland's economic boom, this is not the case. In Ireland, the changing age structure is important. This means that when there are more younger people and they get older and enter the work force, there will be an increase in production and thus an increase in economic growth.
In Ireland, there has always been a low mortality rate. There has also been an increase in birth rate up until 1980 before methods of contraception were made legal. This would have led to a huge growth in population if Ireland did not have a high out-migration. Despite that, there was still a growth in population, and the group is now getting to the age where they are in the working class and thus there is an increase in production.
