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Over three-quarters (75.8%) of people aged 18 years and over considered their general health to be 'good or very good' in 2024.
Approximately half (50.8%) of those aged 18 to 24 years of age considered their mental health to be 'good or very good'.
Approximately 18.7% of people aged 18 years and over had been diagnosed with a specific neurodiverse condition, or suspected they were neurodiverse.
Those aged 75 years and over, at 92.0%, were almost three times more likely to have used prescription medicines in the two weeks prior to the interview compared to those aged 18 to 24 years of age, at 30.7%.
Almost a quarter (23.6%) of those aged 18 to 34 years of age vaped daily or occasionally.
Almost one in five (18.2%) people aged 18 years and over provided care or assistance to one or more people suffering from some age-related problem, chronic health condition, or infirmity, at least once a week.
The Irish Health Survey (IHS) is completed on an annual basis. Data is collected using an online questionnaire, where people are asked questions about their self-perceived health status and health experiences. The Irish Health Survey 2024 includes more than 100 questions on various aspects of a person’s self-reported health and is modelled on the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS). The survey outlines a person's view of their health status, access to healthcare, and their health determinants.
Examples of modules in the survey include:
The release includes a small selection of statistics from the survey with additional statistics available in the Data chapter of this release. Statistics within these tables are presented by sex, age group and HSE health region, where appropriate.
The data collection was conducted in November and December 2024 via an online questionnaire. This differs to previous iterations which were undertaken by interviewers or by using self-completed paper forms. Previous iterations were collected at a different time of year. Any direct comparison between the results in 2024 and the 2015 & 2019 results needs to consider these differences.
General health refers to a state of wellbeing and the capability to function in the face of changing circumstances. It measures a person's subjective opinion of their health. 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.
More than three-quarters (75.8%) of people aged 18 years and over considered their general health to be ‘good or very good’ while 4.7% reported their general health to be ‘bad or very bad’.
Similar to general health, general mental health measures a person's subjective opinion of their mental health. The reference is to mental health in general rather than the present state of mental health, therefore it is not intended to measure temporary mental health problems.
For those aged 18 years and over, 70.7% considered their general mental health to be ‘good or very good’, while 7.6% considered it to be ‘bad or very bad’.
The IHS contained a question on a selection of self-reported long-standing diseases or chronic medical conditions experienced in the past 12 months by those aged 18 years and over, including conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and depression (See Background Notes).
The IHS contained several questions on the neurodiversity of people aged 18 years and over. Someone may consider themselves to be, or be diagnosed as, neurodiverse if they are autistic; have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); have dyspraxia (difficulty in physical coordination) or other neurodivergent condition; have differences in social preferences; have differences in ways of learning; communicate or perceive the world around themselves differently; or are particularly sensitive to noise or lighting.
The IHS included questions on a persons visits or consultations with medical professionals. The list of medical professionals included GPs, dentists or orthodontists, medical or surgical specialists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, psychologists, psychotherapists, and psychiatrists.
Across the broad range of visits to health professionals, females aged 18 years and over were more likely to have visited a health professional than males 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. Contraceptive pills or hormones used solely for contraception were excluded.
Those aged 18 years and over were asked to self-report their weight and height, from which their body mass index (BMI) was then calculated and classified as either underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. See Background Notes for further information on the calculation of BMI.
The purpose of the module on alcohol consumption is to gather data on a person's drinking status, volume of intake, and pattern of alcohol consumption.
Over four in five (81.1%) people aged 18 years and over drank alcohol in the past 12 months, with 40.6% of those aged 18 years and over drinking at least weekly.
The IHS included questions on both smoking and vaping. Smoking questions included the smoking of any tobacco products, but excluded heated tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, or similar electronic devices. Vaping questions included the vaping of electronic cigarettes or similar electronic devices.
Those aged 18 years and over were asked about their personal experience of cannabis use in the past 12 months. For those aged 18 years and over, 7.7% had used cannabis in the previous 12 months, while over one in five (22.1%) of those aged 18 to 24 years of age had used cannabis in the past 12 months.
In the IHS, informal care or assistance refers to the provision of care or assistance to one or more persons suffering from any chronic health condition or infirmity or due to old age, at least once a week. A question was also included on the number of hours of care or assistance that is provided each week and the relationship to the person (e.g. family member or non-family member).
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (11 July 2025) published the Irish Health Survey - Main Release 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 comprehensive survey that was completed in 2024 analysing the health of people in Ireland. People aged 18 years and over were asked more than 100 questions, via an online questionnaire, about their health status, access to health care, and their health determinants such as smoking and alcohol use.
The release includes a selection of statistics from the adult survey with extensive additional data available on the CSO’s open data portal. The 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. An anonymised microdata file (AMF) will also be available for educational purposes at the Irish Social Science Data Archive.
An additional module was also asked about children's health. The children's health release will be published on 18 July 2025.
The CSO would like to thank everyone who took part in the health survey and took the time to answer questions about their health, or their children's health.
Health Status
Over three-quarters (75.8%) of people aged 18 years and over considered their general health to be 'good or very good'. This was highest for those aged 35 to 44 years of age at 81.6%, and lowest for those aged 75 years and over at 61.9%.
Regionally, the percentage of people aged 18 years and over who considered their general health to be 'good or very good' was highest for HSE Dublin and South East at 78.5% and lowest for HSE Dublin and Midlands at 72.5%.
Slightly less people aged 18 years and over considered their mental health to be 'good or very good' at 70.7%. This was lowest for those aged 18 to 24 years of age at 50.8%, and highest for those aged 65 years and over at 83.7%.
Approximately 18.7% of people aged 18 years and over had been diagnosed with a specific neurodiverse condition, or suspected they were neurodiverse. Someone may consider themselves to be, or be diagnosed as, neurodiverse if they are autistic; have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); have dyspraxia (difficulty in physical coordination) or other neurodivergent condition; have differences in social preferences; have differences in ways of learning; communicate or perceive the world around themselves differently; or are particularly sensitive to noise or lighting.
Access to Healthcare
Across the broad range of visits to health professionals, females aged 18 years and over were more likely to have visited a health professional than males in the past 12 months. For GP consultations, 84.7% of females compared to 74.2% of males aged 18 years and over had a consultation in the past 12 months.
Females (59.2%) aged 18 years and over were more likely than males (48.3%) to have used prescription medicine in the two weeks prior to completion of the survey. This excludes contraceptive pills or hormones used solely for contraception.
Those aged 75 years and over (92.0%) were almost three times more likely to have used prescription medicines in the two weeks prior to completion of the survey in comparison with those aged 18 to 24 years of age (30.7%).
Health Determinants
Health determinants are aspects of a person’s lifestyle or health-related behaviours that can have a positive or negative impact on their health. Health determinants can include factors such as body weight, nutrition, physical exercise, alcohol use and smoking. For body mass index (BMI), almost a quarter (23.8%) of people aged 18 years and over were classified as being obese. Three in ten (30.1%) of those aged 55 to 64 years were classified as being obese, in comparison to 13.6% of those aged 18 to 24 years of age.
Over four in five (81.1%) people aged 18 years and over drank alcohol in the past 12 months, with 40.6% drinking at least weekly. The percentage of people aged 18 years and over who drank alcohol at least weekly in the past 12 months was lowest for those aged 18 to 24 years of age (26.7%) and highest for those aged 55 to 64 years (55.9%).
When it comes to smoking and vaping, 10.2% of those aged 18 years and over smoked tobacco products daily, while 7.1% vaped daily. Those aged 45 to 54 years of age were more likely to smoke daily than any other age group at 13.3%. Vaping daily (13.6%) or occasionally (10%) was most prevalent for those aged 18 to 34 years.”