The rate of poverty in rural areas has increased in recent times, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.
The figure reveals that there are approximately 350,154 people living in poverty in rural Ireland.
This means that more than 350,000 people in rural Ireland are living on incomes of less than €10,453 per anum.
The study also shows that the number of people in rural Ireland who are living in consistent poverty has more than doubled since 2008 and now stands at 194,127 people
In response to the figures, Social Justice Ireland has called on the government to increase investment in rural development.
Among the measures, the organisation has called for action on is broadband investment to the tune of €200 million and the introduction of a Rural Enterprise scheme.
