Rise in number of adults living with parents

The number of Westmeath adults living with their parents has increased by almost 20 per cent since 2016.

That’s according to recently released Census figures, which revealed that in April of last year there were 9,814 adults, or 14% of all those aged 18 and over in the county, living with their parents in Westmeath, an increase of 1,492 (18%) since the last Census in 2016.

Nationally, there were 522,486 adult children aged 18 years and above living with their parents (13%).

Overall, almost 25,000 adults living with their parents were unpaid carers. In Westmeath, 462 (5%) were unpaid carers.

In Westmeath, 25 was the youngest age in which the majority of people were not living with their parents.

Nationally, the age is 24, this is up from 23 in 2011.

Of all the adults living with their parents in Westmeath and the rest of the country, 57 per cent were male.

Kinnegad has the highest proportion (one in six or 16%) of adults living with their parents in the county.

When it comes to younger offspring, there were 19,779 children under the age of 15 living with their parents in April last year.

Nationally, there were 1,012,287 children aged under 15 (up 5,735 since 2016).

Almost one in three – 331,783 – were in some form of childcare.

In Westmeath, 6,343 (32%) of those aged under 15 were in childcare.

There were 2,458 children in a crèche, Montessori, playgroup or after school service in the county (39%).

Just over one in four (1,819) were being cared for by an unpaid relative or family member.

A further 1,211 (19%) were being cared for by a childminder (in the childminder’s home).