Despite high unemployment and mass emigration, Irish citizens remain among the wealthiest in Europe, according to the latest figures from  the European statistics office Eurostat.

Research shows that Ireland has the third highest GDP per capita in the EU in 2010.

The data was calculated in terms of how much expendable income is available for purchasing power standards, where were listed at 128 percent.
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Ireland’s GDP is just behind the Netherlands at 116 percent, however there is a clear downward trend between 2008 and 2010, when it fell that more than 13 percent.

During the period of 2008-2010 Ireland has experienced the biggest decline, alongside Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and Iceland.

The figures also show that consumers in Ireland are still paying 20 percent more than their average EU counterpart for goods and services.