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In 2024, the general health of over nine in ten (92.4%) children aged 2 to 17 years was considered to be 'good or very good'.
The general dental health of over four in five (82.3%) children aged 2 to 17 years was considered to be 'good or very good'.
The percentage for children aged 2 to 17 years with a long-standing illness or health problem was higher for males (19.9%) than females (16.8%).
Over half of children aged 2 to 17 years (51.1%) had taken prescription medicine, non-prescription medicine or vitamins in the two weeks prior to interview.
Almost half of children aged 2 to 17 years (48.8%) needed a medical examination or treatment (excluding dental) for a health problem in the past 12 months.
Children aged 2 to 8 years (91.5%) were more likely to eat fruits and vegetables at least once a day, compared with children aged 13 to 17 years (84.3%).
The percentage of children aged 2 to 17 years who were considered to be in 'good or very good' health was highest in HSE South West at 95.2% and lowest in HSE Dublin and Midlands at 90.8%.
The children's module of Irish Health Survey (IHS) 2024 is an annual voluntary health survey. The survey was collected using an online questionnaire, where guardians were asked questions about their child's health status and health experiences. The children's module of the Irish Health Survey includes about 20 questions and is modelled on The European Health Interview Survey (EHIS). The data collection was conducted in November and December 2024. Examples of questions in the children’s module include:
The release includes a small selection of statistics from the survey with additional statistics available on the Data tab of this release. Statistics within the Data tables are presented by sex, age, and HSE health region, where appropriate.
General health refers a guardian's subjective opinion of their child's health and state of wellbeing. General health can be seen to depend not only on medical care, but also on other factors including individual behaviour and genetic makeup, and social and economic conditions. The reference is to health in general rather than the present state of health, therefore it is not intended to measure temporary health problems.
General dental health refers the to a state of child's teeth and gums in the past 12 months. General dental health can be seen to depend not only on dental care by a dentist, but also on other factors including individual behaviour and genetic makeup.
A child's long-standing illness or health problem refers to illnesses or health problems which have lasted, or are expected to last, for six months or more. The main characteristics of a long-standing illness or chronic condition is that it is permanent and may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation, or care. Health problems cover different physical, emotional, behavioural, and mental dimensions of health. Besides diseases and disorders, they can also include pain, ill-health caused by accidents and injuries, and congenital conditions.
Inpatients are patients who are formally admitted overnight to a hospital for treatment and care. Day case patients are patients who receive medical services delivered in a hospital and who are formally admitted for diagnosis, treatment, or other types of healthcare and are discharged on the same day. The statistics refer to the percentage of children admitted to hospital rather than the percentage of admissions of children in the past 12 months.
Medicine use in the two weeks prior to completion of the survey included both prescribed medicines and the use of any medicines, herbal medicines, and vitamins that were not prescribed. Some children may take both prescribed and non-prescribed medication and vitamin supplements.
Questions were also included on need for medical examinations or treatments in the past 12 months. All types of medical examinations or treatments could be included, such as GP visits and hospitalisations.
Health determinants are aspects in lifestyles or health-related behaviours that can have a positive or negative impact on a child's health. The survey included questions on nutrition, such as the eating fruits and vegetables at least once a day, and leisure activities including swimming and youth organisations.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (18 July 2025) published the Irish Health Survey – Children’s Health for 2024.
Commenting on today’s release, Sarah Crilly, Statistician in the Health and Social Cohesion Division said: “The statistics contained in this release are selected from a module on children’s health that was included in the Irish Health Survey, which was conducted in 2024. The guardians of children aged between 2 to 17 years were asked questions, via an online questionnaire, about their child’s health status, access to health care, and their health determinants such as nutrition and recreational activities.
The release includes a selection of statistics from the children’s module survey with additional data available on the CSO’s open data portal, PxStat. The complete list of statistics are included in the Data chapter of this release, with further statistics disaggregated by age, sex and HSE health region. This is the first CSO survey publication to include statistics by HSE health region.
A valuable aspect of the data is its use to health researchers. The Health Research Data Centre can provide this access subject to the necessary procedures.
The CSO would like to thank everyone who took part in the health survey and took the time to answer questions about their children's health.
Health Status
The general health of more than nine in ten (92.4%) of children aged between 2 to 17 years was considered to be good or very good. Approximately 93.4% of children aged 2 to 8 years of age were considered to have 'good or very good' general health, compared with 94.6% of children aged 9 to 12 years and 89.6% of children aged 13 to 17 years.
The percentage of children aged 2 to 17 years who were considered to be in 'good or very good health' was highest in HSE South West at 95.2% and lowest in HSE Dublin and Midlands at 90.8%.
The general dental health of four in five (82.3%) children aged 2 to 17 years was considered to be 'good or very good', while 3.2% were considered to have 'bad or very bad' general dental health.
Almost one in five (18.4%) of children aged 2 to 17 years have a long-standing illness or health problem and it is higher for males (19.9%) than females (16.8%).
Access to Healthcare
Approximately 5.6% of children aged 2 to 17 years were admitted to a hospital as an in-patient and 14.7% were admitted as a day-case patient in the past 12 months.
Regarding medication, more than half of children aged 2 to 17 years (51.1%) had taken prescription medicine, non-prescription medicine, or vitamins in the two weeks prior to interview. Prescription medicine was taken by 18.7% of children aged 2 to 17 years and non-prescription medicine or vitamins were taken by 41.9% of children.
Almost half of children aged 2 to 17 years (48.8%) needed a medical examination or treatment (excluding dental) for a health problem in the past 12 months.
Health Determinants
Fruits and vegetables were eaten at least once a day by 89.0% of children aged 2 to 17 years, while 95.9% had a meal with meat, chicken, or fish (or vegetarian equivalent) at least once a day.
Participation in leisure activities such as swimming, playing an instrument, or youth organisations was highest for those aged 9 to 12 years (92.3%) and lowest for those aged 2 to 8 years (80.8%).”