The figures are contained in a new study undertaken at the School of Business Studies at TCD, which also shows that more men than women serve as volunteers in Irish non-profit organisations. Women, however, are more likely than men to be employed by a non-profits, the report reveals. It also says that just 1% of government money allocated to nonprofits goes to sporting bodies with health organisations, the largest recipients, receiving 30% of state funding.

The report identified nearly 25,000 non-profit organisations operating in Ireland . . .

nearly 20% of which took part in the study, providing the most comprehensive information to date about the sector.

Ireland relies more heavily on the non-profit sector than most other OECD countries, the study's authors point out, with the Catholic church taking the lead role in delivering education and health services.

Prior to the study . . . The Hidden Landscape: First Forays into Mapping Non-profit Organisations in Ireland . . . the sector's role had never been evaluated for its economic impact.

In another sign of the growing appreciation of the importance of the non-profit sector to the Irish economy, from September the Trinity MBA programme will include a required module on 'social entrepreneurship', examining the issues and teaching skills involved in operating and growing nonprofit organisations.