The Midland Region (coded IE063) is a NUTS Level III statistical region of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It consists of the territory of the

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medi ...

Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in h ...

Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...

and Longford. The Midland Region spans 6,524 km², 9.5% of the total area of the state and according to the 2016 census has a population of 292,301. Before 2014, the region was governed by the Midlands Regional Authority. The Authority was abolished in 2014. Midland now exists as a strategic planning area within the

Eastern and Midland Region The Eastern and Midland Region has been defined as a region in Ireland since 1 January 2015. It is a NUTS Level II statistical region of Ireland (coded IE06). NUTS 2 Regions may be classified as ''less developed regions'', ''transition ...

. The NUTS regions are used for statistical reporting to Eurostat, while the Regional Assemblies are responsible for planning at a

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...

level. The Midland Region is also a tourist destination due to its natural environment which includes lakes, waterways and canals, as well as a history, heritage and culture which dates from early Christian times.

Midland Regional Authority

The Midland Region was administered by the Midland Regional Authority, which consisted of 24 elected representatives including the region's representative on the EU Committee of the Regions. These representatives met once a month and were nominated from the four local government councils of the region: *

Laois County Council Laois County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae Laoise) is the authority responsible for local government in County Laois, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and co ...

* Longford County Council *

Offaly County Council Offaly County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae Uíbh Fhailí) is the authority responsible for local government in County Offaly, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housi ...

Westmeath County Council Westmeath County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae na hIarmhí) is the authority responsible for local government in County Westmeath, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible fo ...

The Regional Authorities were dissolved in 2014 and were replaced by Regional Assemblies.

Demography

According to the 2011 census, the region had a population of 282,410, which constitutes 6.2% of the national population. Its population density was 43.3 persons per km². The region has a growing

dependency ratio The dependency ratio is an age-population ratio of those typically not in the labor force (the ''dependent'' part ages 0 to 14 and 65+) and those typically in the labor force (the ''productive'' part ages 15 to 64). It is used to measure the press ...

which is stated as having implications on health care, the types of housing needed as well as care for the elderly.

Economy

The most significant industry in the Midland Region is the

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficient ...

industry, as well as

wood processing Wood processing is an engineering discipline in the wood industry comprising the production of forest products, such as pulp and paper, construction materials, and tall oil. Paper engineering is a subfield of wood processing. The major wood pro ...

. Its wood processing industry now accounts for over one-third of the total processed timber produced in Ireland. Other strong industries include medicine, healthcare, engineering and chemical. It also has some very successful food and drink producers. According to Eurostat figures for 2012, the region has GDP of €5.765 bn and a GDP per capita of €20,100 the lowest in the Republic. The workforce of the region in 2015 was 114,000, which equated to an 87.6% employment rate. In 2017 the largest employment sectors in the Midland Region were: # Wholesale & retail trade 16% # Manufacturing industries 12% # Health & social work 11% # Education 9% # Public administration & defence 8% # Agriculture 8%

Major settlements

A list of the ten largest settlements in the Midland Region. County capitals are included and are shown in bold.

References

{{coord missing, Ireland NUTS statistical regions of the Republic of Ireland