Ireland has the highest levels of loneliness in Europe according to a new survey.

Data on more than 20,000 Europeans was collected at the end of 2022 from an online consumer panel.

Findings show that on average, 13pc of respondents reported feeling lonely most or all of the time in 2022, while 35pc reported being lonely at least some of the time.

According to the survey, loneliness is most prevalent in Ireland as over 20pc of respondents reported feeling lonely.

Luxemburg, Bulgaria and Greece followed behind while the lowest levels, all below 10pc, are observed in the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Croatia and Austria.