Married people are more likely to be happier than their divorced, separated and widowed counterparts, according to the latest figures from the CSO.

The Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2024 measured various indicators of well-being.

Married respondents were more likely to report high overall life satisfaction at 29.6pc, compared with 20.0pc of those who were separated.

Likewise, the separated and divorced were more likely to report low overall life satisfaction, with rates of 22.7pc and 25.4pc respectively, compared with 7.9pc of married respondents.

When it comes to feeling downhearted or depressed, 9.1pc of divorced and 5.3pc of separated respondents and 5.4pc of those who never married said they felt like this always or most of the time in the four-week period prior to interview. The comparable rate for married persons was 1.7pc. The rate for widowed respondents was 4.3pc.

Married respondents were less likely to report feeling lonely with less than one in ten (8.3pc) feeling so at least some of the time. The comparable rates for separated, widowed or divorced respondents was three times higher at approximately 30pc for each of these three groups.