Ireland: Current public expenditure on health care

• Current public expenditure on health care in Ireland was €22.2bn in 2021, up €1.5bn on 2020 (see Table 5.1).
• As a percentage of Gross National Income (GNI), public health spending decreased from 9.4% in 2011 to 6.8% in 2021.
• As a proportion of Modified GNI (GNI*), public expenditure on health care was 9.5% in 2021, down from 10.2% in 2020.
• Between 2011 and 2021, public health spending per capita at constant 2021 prices rose from €3,146 to €4,367, an increase of 38.8%. For the time period 2011 to 2019 (i.e. prior to the COVID-19 pandemic), it increased by 18.1% and between 2019 and 2021 it rose by another 17.6%.

By country: Current expenditure on health as a percentage of GDP

• In 2021, current health care spending (public and private) in Ireland as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 6.6%. This was the fourth lowest in the EU27 and below the EU27 average of 10.9% (see Table 5.2).
• As a percentage of Modified Gross National Income (GNI*), current expenditure on health care in Ireland was 12.3% in 2021.
• Germany had the highest proportion of GDP allocated towards health care in the EU27 in 2021 at 12.9%, while Luxembourg had the lowest at 5.7%.
• Germany had the highest spending per capita on health care in the EU27 in 2021 at €5,156.3 per person in purchasing power standards. Ireland's spending per capita was the ninth highest at €3,882.7 (see Figure 5.2).

Ireland: Life expectancy at birth and at age 65 by sex

• Life expectancy at birth for males in 2016 was 79.6 years in Ireland, an increase of 22.2 years since 1926 (see Table 5.3).
• For females, life expectancy at birth in 2016 was 83.4 years, a rise of 25.5 years since 1926.
• In 1926, life expectancy for females was higher than for males by 0.5 years. This gender gap widened to 5.7 years in 1986, but narrowed to 3.8 years by 2016.
• A 65 year old man in 2016 could expect to live for another 18.3 years compared to 21.0 years for a 65 year old woman, resulting in a gender differential of 2.7 years. The gender differential at age 65 peaked at 3.7 years in 1991.

By country: Life expectancy at birth by sex

• In 2021, Irish male life expectancy at birth was 80.5 years, which was 3.3 years higher than the EU27 average of 77.2 years (see Table 5.4).
• Female life expectancy at birth in Ireland was 84.3 years in 2021, which was 1.4 years higher than the EU27 average of 82.9 years.
• Sweden had the highest male life expectancy in the EU27 in 2021, at 81.3 years, and Bulgaria had the lowest at 68.0 years. Spain had the highest female life expectancy at 86.2 years, while Bulgaria had the lowest at 75.1 years.
• Women had a higher life expectancy at birth than men in all EU27 countries in 2021. The largest gender differential was Latvia (9.8 years) and the smallest was the Netherlands (3.3 years). Ireland's differential was 3.8 years.

By country: Healthy life years at birth by sex

• Healthy life expectancy is the number of years a person can expect to live in a healthy state. It is calculated using mortality data and self-perceived health-related limitations to activity (see Background Notes).
• In 2021, females in Ireland had a healthy life expectancy at birth of 68.0 years. This was 3.8 years higher than the EU27 average of 64.2 years and behind Italy and Malta who were highest at 68.5 years (see Table 5.5).
• Males in Ireland had a healthy life expectancy of 66.4 years in 2021 and so Ireland was the fourth highest in the EU27 behind Malta and Sweden (68.9 years each) and Italy (67.7). The EU27 average was 63.1 years.
• In 2021, females had a higher healthy life expectancy than males in 18 countries of the EU27, including Ireland. Of these, Lithuania had the highest gender differentials for females relative to males at 4.4 years.
• Nine countries reported a higher healthy life expectancy for males than females, of which the differential was largest in Denmark at 3.4 years.

By country: Proportion of life expectancy in poor health for males

• Males in Ireland in 2021 could expect to live 66.4 healthy life years, and 14.1 years in poor health, out of a total life expectancy of 80.5 years. This is equivalent to a proportion of life expectancy in poor health of 17.5% (see Table 5.6).
• Of the EU27 countries, Ireland and Germany had the joint 10th lowest proportion of life expectancy in poor health. The countries with the lowest proportion of life expectancy in poor health were Bulgaria (9.4%), Hungary (12.9%) and Malta (14.7%).
• The EU27 average for male healthy life years in 2021 was 63.1 years, while the average expected number of years in poor health was 14.1 years. The average proportion of male life expectancy in poor health was 18.3%.
• Denmark had the highest proportion of male life expectancy in poor health in the EU27 in 2021, at 26.9%.

By country: Proportion of life expectancy in poor health for females

• In 2021, females in Ireland could expect to experience 68.0 healthy life years and 16.3 years in poor health, out of a total life expectancy of 84.3 years (see Table 5.7).
• In the EU27, Ireland had the joint fifth (with Italy) lowest proportion of life expectancy in poor health for females in 2021 at 19.3%. Bulgaria had the lowest proportion of life expectancy in poor health (13.3%), followed by Hungary (18.4%), Malta (18.7%) and Poland (18.8%).
• The EU27 average for female healthy life expectancy in 2021 was 64.2 years, while the number of years in poor health was 18.7 years. The average proportion of female life expectancy in poor health was 22.6%.
• Denmark had the highest proportion of female life expectancy in poor health at 34.2%, followed by Portugal at 32.0% and Latvia at 29.0%.