A new report on Travellers has confirmed that poor health is much more common among them compared to non-Travellers.

The report, A Social Portrait of Travellers, has been published by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

Using information from the 2011 Census, it set out to determine whether certain groups of Travellers experience particularly high levels of disadvantage in four main areas - health, housing, education and employment.

When it came to health, the report confirmed what numerous other studies have found - there is a higher rate of poor health among Travellers. Overall, 29% of those aged between 35 and 54 reported that they had fair, bad or very bad health compared to just 8% of non-Travellers of the same age.

Furthermore, there appears to be a steeper increase with age in reported poor health among Travellers compared to non-Travellers. The report noted that while there is little difference in rates of poor health among Travellers under the age of 15 (3%) compared to non-Travellers of the same age (1%), by the time they reach the age of 55-64, 50% of Travellers are reporting poor health compared to 22% of non-Travellers.

Meanwhile, the report revealed that there are just under 30,000 Travellers living in Ireland and 88% of these live in standard housing, while just 12% live in a caravan or mobile home.

When it comes to education, Travellers are more likely to have left school early and significantly less likely to have completed their Leaving Cert. While levels of education have been increasing over time among Travellers, just 9% of those aged between 25 and 34 have completed secondary school.

Not surprisingly, this has an impact on employment. Travellers are more likely to have a job if they have a higher level of education, but overall, employment rates remain very low. Just 11% of those aged between 25 and 64 are employed compared to 66% of non-Travellers.

"This report is particularly timely given that we are currently finalising the new Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy. It draws attention in unequivocal terms to the poor outcomes and conditions in terms of education, health, employment and accommodation that Travellers face.

"We need a sustained effort in partnership between all relevant departments and agencies and the Traveller community to ensure that these failures are addressed and that Travellers can enjoy the same quality of life as others in our society," commented Junior Justice Minister, David Stanton, who launched the report.