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Health - Health

5.1 Ireland: Current public expenditure on health care, 2004-2013
     
 Current public expenditure
YearTotal (€m)% of GNI% of GDPPer capita at constant 2012 prices (€)
20049,6537.26.22,773
2005b11,1607.66.63,026
200612,2487.66.73,092
200713,7368.07.03,223
200814,5889.07.83,193
200915,07310.79.03,269
201014,45210.38.83,249
201113,7289.88.03,044
201213,7879.78.03,007
201313,4929.17.72,973
Source: Department of Health, CSO
b: Break in series. See Appendix 1 for more details.

 

  • Current public expdenditure on health care in Ireland as a proportion of GNI increased strongly over the period 2004-2009, from 7.2% to 10.7%, before falling over the following four years to stand at 9.1% in 2013.
  • An average of €2,773 per person was spent on current public expenditure on health care in Ireland in 2004 (at constant 2012 prices).  This expenditure increased steadily to €3,223 per person in 2007.
  • There was a small decrease in 2008 followed by an increase in 2009 to €3,269.  By 2013, however, current public expenditure on health care per person decreased to €2,973.
  • Over the time period 2004 to 2013 current public expenditure on health care per person (at constant 2012 prices) increased by 7.2%.
Per capita at constant 2012 prices (euro)
20042773.34602998927
20053025.77224747679
20063091.52951387353
20073222.82999657391
20083193.35595134611
20093268.90974563172
20103248.75974723222
20113044.24056552625
20123006.7169712566
20132973.42813315111
5.2 EU: Total expenditure1 on health as a percentage of GDP, 2010-2012
 % of GDPPPS$ per capita
Country2010201120122012
Netherlands12.111.912.45,385
France11.711.611.74,260
Austria11.611.311.55,065
Germany11.511.311.34,617
Denmark11.110.911.24,720
Belgium10.510.510.84,320
Ireland (% of GNI)11.110.89.93,529
Spain9.69.39.63,145
Sweden9.59.59.64,158
Portugal10.810.29.42,400
United Kingdom9.69.49.43,495
Greece9.49.09.32,346
Italy9.49.29.23,040
Finland9.09.09.13,545
Malta8.58.79.12,548
Slovenia8.98.98.82,420
Ireland (% of GDP)9.38.88.13,529
Hungary8.07.97.81,729
Slovakia9.07.97.81,977
Czech Republic7.47.57.72,046
Bulgaria7.67.37.41,177
Cyprus7.47.47.32,266
Luxembourg7.26.76.96,341
Croatia7.86.86.81,410
Poland7.06.86.71,489
Lithuania7.06.76.71,426
Latvia6.56.06.01,188
Estonia6.35.85.91,385
Romania5.95.65.1873
     
Switzerland10.911.011.36,062
Iceland9.49.29.13,436
Norway10.09.99.05,970
Macedonia7.06.97.1835
Turkey6.86.16.31,144
Source: WHO Global Health Expenditure database
1 Public and private, see Appendix 1 for details of PPS.

 

  • Total expenditure on health in Ireland was 8.1% of GDP in 2012, the sixteenth highest rate of expenditure in the EU.
  • However, when expenditure on health in Ireland is calculated as a % of GNI, Ireland had the seventh highest rate of expenditure in the EU in 2012.
  • Six countries spent more than 10% of their GDP on health expenditure, (the Netherlands, France, Austria, Germany, Denmark and Belgium), while the rate was less than 6% in Romania and Estonia.
  • Ireland had the tenth highest expenditure on health in PPS $ per capita in 2012 in the EU, with the highest in Luxembourg and the lowest in Romania.
5.3 Ireland: Life expectancy at birth and at age 65 by sex, 1925-2007
     
years
PeriodAt birthAt 65 years
 MalesFemalesMalesFemales
1925-192757.457.912.813.4
1935-193758.259.612.513.1
1940-194259.061.012.313.2
1945-194760.562.412.013.1
1950-195264.567.112.113.3
1960-196268.171.912.614.4
1965-196768.672.912.414.7
1970-197268.873.512.415.0
1978-198069.575.012.415.4
1980-198270.175.612.615.7
1985-198771.076.712.616.2
1990-199272.377.913.417.1
1995-199773.078.513.817.4
2001-200375.180.315.418.7
2005-200776.881.616.619.8
Source: CSO Vital Statistics

 

  • Life expectancy at birth in Ireland, as calculated by the CSO, increased from under 58 years in 1925-27 for both males and females to 76.8 years for males and 81.6 years for females in 2005-2007. 
  • Over the same period, there was an increase of 3.8 years in the life expectancy of men aged 65 compared with an increase of 6.4 years in the life expectancy of older women.
  • In 1925-27 life expectancy at birth for females was 0.5 years higher than that for males.  By 2005-2007 this gap had increased to 4.8 years.
5.4 EU: Life expectancy at birth by sex, 2012
    
years
CountryMalesFemalesGender differential
Sweden79.983.6-3.7
Italy79.884.8-5.0
Spain79.585.5-6.0
Netherlands79.383.0-3.7
Luxembourg79.183.8-4.7
United Kingdom79.182.8-3.7
Cyprus78.983.4-4.5
Ireland78.783.2-4.5
France78.785.4-6.7
Germany 78.683.3-4.7
Malta78.683.0-4.4
Austria78.483.6-5.2
Denmark78.182.1-4.0
Greece78.083.4-5.4
Belgium77.883.1-5.3
Finland77.783.7-6.0
EU77.583.1-5.6
Portugal77.383.6-6.3
Slovenia77.183.3-6.2
Czech Republic75.181.2-6.1
Croatia73.980.6-6.7
Poland72.781.1-8.4
Slovakia72.579.9-7.4
Hungary71.678.7-7.1
Estonia71.481.5-10.1
Romania71.078.1-7.1
Bulgaria70.977.9-7.0
Latvia68.978.9-10.0
Lithuania68.479.6-11.2
    
Iceland81.684.3-2.7
Switzerland80.684.9-4.3
Norway79.583.5-4.0
Turkey74.880.5-5.7
Macedonia73.076.9-3.9
Source: Eurostat

 

  • Life expectancy at birth for males in Ireland in 2012, as calculated by Eurostat, was 78.7 years, 1.2 years higher than the EU average.  Female life expectancy at birth in 2012 was 83.2 years in Ireland, just above the EU average of 83.1 years.
  • Life expectancy at birth in the EU in 2012 for males was highest in Sweden at 79.9 years and for females was highest in Spain at 85.5 years.
  • Life expectancy at birth was higher for females in all EU countries with the highest difference in Lithuania at 11.2 years while the lowest was 3.7 years in the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
  • Life expectancy at birth for females in Ireland is 4.5 years higher than that for males.
  • Life expectancy at birth for males and females in Ireland has risen steadily over the time period 2003 to 2012, from 75.7 to 78.7 years for males and from 80.7 to 83.2 years for females, (see chart for data.)

 

 

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