This chapter provides statistics on distance to health services by self-reported General Health status and Long-lasting Condition or Difficulty by mean, median, 25th and 75th percentile at State, County, Administrative County, CSO Local Electoral Area, NUTS-3 Region, Type of Urban and Rural Area, and HSE Health Regions (and nested HSE geographies). Type of Condition is presented by Administrative County, Type of Urban or Rural Area, HSE Integrated Healthcare Area and HSE Health Region. More information on the statistics available and geographic breakdowns are in the Background Notes. All statistics in this chapter refer to individuals rather than households, as health is a personal characteristic.
For a detailed breakdown of the population by General Health and Long-lasting Condition or Difficulty, see Census of Population 2022 Profile 4 - Disability, Health and Carers. The population size varied considerably across self-perceived general health categories - in Census 2022, 53% of individuals rated their health as 'Very good', while the 'Bad' and 'Very bad' categories accounted for 1.4% and 0.3% of the population respectively. Where findings are reported for these smaller categories, the median distances presented reflect the geographic distribution of a relatively small number of individuals and should be interpreted accordingly. Cases where General Health was not stated are included in overall totals but are not discussed separately in this chapter.
In Census 2022, respondents rated their General Health on a five-point scale from 'Very good' to 'Very bad'. This section examines how distance to health services vary by self-perceived health status across different geographic levels.
At State level, differences in median distance to health services were small across all five self-perceived health categories, with variation of less than 1.0 km for each service. For example, median distances to nearest HSE Emergency Department ranged from 13.3 km for those reporting ‘Very bad’ health, to 13.5 km for those reporting ‘Very good’ health, while median distances to HSE Primary Care Centres ranged from 3.6 km for those reporting 'Very bad' health to 4.5 km for those reporting 'Very good' health.
At Administrative County level, differences in distance to health services between those reporting 'Very good' and 'Very bad' health were generally small, with most Counties showing variation of less than 2.0 km between the two groups across all services.
The most notable finding was in Waterford City and County and Limerick City and County, where half of all individuals reporting 'Very bad' health lived within 6.2 km and 4.4 km of their nearest HSE General Hospital respectively, compared with 12.3 km and 10.4 km for those reporting 'Very good' health. For GPs, a broader pattern emerged across most Administrative Counties, where median distance to a GP for those reporting poorer health was shorter than for those reporting better health. The largest differences were in Monaghan County (5.3 km for 'Very good' versus 2.0 km for 'Very bad'), Longford County (4.5 km versus 1.8 km) and Cavan County (4.5 km versus 2.0 km).
At LEA level, differences in median distance to a HSE Emergency Department between those reporting 'Very good' and 'Very bad' health were small across most areas, with the majority of LEAs showing variation of less than 2.0 km between the two groups.
The largest difference where individuals reporting 'Very bad' health lived closer to a HSE Emergency Department or Injury Unit was in Tramore-Waterford City West in Waterford, where the median distance was 11.7 km for those reporting 'Very good' health, compared with 5.5 km for those reporting 'Very bad' health. Smaller but notable differences in the same direction were observed in Castlebar in Mayo (6.0 km and 3.2 km) and Cavan-Belturbet in Cavan (6.2 km and 3.7 km).
The opposite pattern was observed in a number of LEAs, where individuals reporting 'Very bad' health lived further from a HSE Emergency Department or Injury Unit than those reporting 'Very good' health. The most pronounced differences were in Conamara South in Galway (15.8 km for 'Very good' versus 28.0 km for 'Very bad'), Kilrush in Clare (32.4 km versus 43.1 km) and Macroom in Cork (25.3 km versus 33.5 km). A similar but smaller difference was observed in Leitrim, in both Manorhamilton (23.6 km for 'Very good' versus 29.1 km for 'Very bad') and Ballinamore (38.6 km versus 44.8 km).
In Census 2022, respondents were asked whether they experienced any Long-lasting Condition or Difficulty and to what extent it affected them. See Census of Population 2022 Profile 4 - Disability, Health and Carers and Background Notes for more information.
At State level, median distances to health services showed some variation across Type of Condition and Extent. For HSE Emergency Departments, most median distances by Type of Condition were between 13.0 km and 16.0 km, while for HSE Primary Care Centres the range was considerably narrower, with most values falling between 3.9 km and 4.1 km. Differences of less than 1.0 km were seen between those experiencing a condition to 'Some Extent' and those experiencing it to a 'Great Extent' across almost all condition types.
At Administrative County level, differences were generally small across most Administrative Counties, with median distances of less than 2.0 km between Long-lasting Conditions or Difficulty categories. The most notable exception was Wicklow County, where individuals experiencing a Long-lasting Condition or Difficulty to a 'Great extent' had a median distance of 24.0 km to their nearest HSE General Hospital, compared with 19.5 km for those reporting 'No Long-lasting Condition or Difficulty'. In Limerick City and County, individuals experiencing a condition to a 'Great Extent' lived considerably closer to a HSE General Hospital (5.8 km) than those reporting 'No Long-lasting Condition or Difficulty' (10.3 km).
Individuals who reported a 'Psychological or emotional condition or a mental health issue' had the shortest median distance to a HSE Emergency Department of any ‘Type of Condition’, while individuals with 'Deafness or hearing impairment' had the longest, although the absolute difference was relatively small. For HSE Emergency Departments, the shortest median distance recorded was 11.0 km, among those experiencing a 'Psychological or emotional condition or a mental health issue' to 'Some Extent', while the longest was 15.7 km, among those experiencing 'Difficulty dressing, bathing or getting around inside the home' to 'Great Extent'. For HSE Primary Care Centres, the corresponding figures were 3.2 km and 4.5 km. Across all other condition types, median distances fell between these values, with differences of less than 1.0 km between 'Some Extent' and 'Great Extent' for almost all conditions and services.
This section uses the six-category urban and rural classification set out in Urban and Rural Life in Ireland, 2025.
Across all urban and rural area types, the type of condition had little bearing on median distances to a HSE Emergency Department. In 'Highly rural and remote areas', for example, median distances ranged from 37.7 km for those experiencing a 'psychological or emotional condition or a mental health issue' to a 'Great Extent' to 40.4 km for those with 'deafness or hearing impairment' to a 'Great Extent'. This pattern was consistent across all six urban and rural area types, with little variation between condition types or extent categories within any area type.
There are six HSE Health Regions, each responsible for both hospital and community care: Dublin and North East, Dublin and Midlands, Dublin and South East, South West, Midwest and West and North West. Further information on the counties within each region is available in the Background Notes.
When examined by HSE Health Region, median distances to a HSE Emergency Department varied little across condition types and extent categories in most regions. Individuals with a 'Psychological or emotional condition or a mental health issue' had the shortest median distances across all HSE Health Regions, consistent with the pattern observed at State level.
The largest differences between condition types were had in the HSE Midwest Health Region, where individuals with 'Deafness or hearing impairment' had a median distance of 32.0 km to a HSE Emergency Department, compared with 25.0 km for those with a 'Psychological or emotional condition or a mental health issue'. In the HSE Dublin and South East Health Region, median distances ranged from 14.9 km for those with a 'Psychological or emotional condition or a mental health issue' to 18.1 km for those with 'An intellectual disability'.
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