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Ireland: Current public expenditure on health care, 2002-2011

5.1 Ireland: Current public expenditure on health care, 2002-2011
     
 Current public expenditure
YearTotal (€m)% of GNI% of GDPPer capita at constant 2012 prices (€)
20027,9337.36.12,645
20038,8537.46.32,755
20049,6537.56.42,773
2005b11,1607.96.93,026
200612,2487.96.93,091
200713,7368.47.23,223
200814,5889.38.13,193
200915,07311.19.33,269
201014,45210.99.13,249
201113,72810.48.43,044
   Source: Department of Health, CSO
     
b: Break in series. See Appendix 1 for more details. 
  • Current public expenditure on health care in Ireland as a proportion of GNI increased strongly over the period 2002-2009, from 7.3% to 11.1%, before falling back to 10.4% in 2011.
  • An average of €2,645 per person was spent on current public expenditure on health care in Ireland in 2002 (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 2011, however, current public expenditure on health care per person decreased to €3,044.
  • Over the time period 2002 to 2011 current public expenditure on health care per person, (at constant 2012 prices), increased by 15%.

EU: Total expenditure on health as a percentage of GDP, 2008-2010

5.2 EU: Total expenditure1 on health as a percentage of GDP, 2008-2010
     
   % of GDPPPS$ per capita
Country2008200920102010
Netherlands9.912.011.95,038
France11.211.911.94,021
Germany10.711.711.64,332
Denmark10.211.511.44,537
Portugal10.110.711.02,818
Austria10.411.011.04,388
Ireland (% of GNI)10.211.311.03,704
Belgium10.010.810.74,025
Greece10.110.610.32,853
EU9.29.99.93,229
Sweden9.210.09.63,757
United Kingdom8.99.89.63,480
Italy9.09.49.53,022
Spain9.09.69.53,027
Slovenia8.49.39.42,552
Ireland (% of GDP)8.89.49.23,704
Finland8.39.19.03,281
Slovakia8.09.18.82,060
Malta8.38.58.72,261
Czech Republic6.88.07.92,051
Luxembourg6.87.97.86,743
Poland7.07.47.51,476
Hungary7.37.67.31,469
Lithuania6.67.57.01,299
Bulgaria7.07.26.9947
Latvia6.66.66.71,093
Estonia5.96.76.01,226
Cyprus6.06.16.01,842
Romania5.45.65.6811
     
Switzerland10.711.411.55,394
Norway8.59.79.55,426
Iceland9.29.89.43,279
Croatia7.87.87.81,514
Macedonia6.86.97.1791
Turkey6.16.86.71,029
  Source: WHO Heath for all database
     
1 Public and private. See Appendix 1 for details of PPS.
  • Ireland's total expenditure on public and private health was 9.2% of GDP in 2010, a small increase on 8.8% in 2008. This increase is due to the fall in GDP between 2008 and 2010.
  • Total expenditure on public and private health was 9.9% of GDP in the EU, while eight countries had expenditures of more than 10% of GDP.
  • Ireland had the ninth highest expenditure on health in PPS $ per capita in 2010 in the EU, with the highest in Luxembourg and the lowest in Romania.

Ireland: Life expectancy at birth and age 65 by sex, 1925-2007

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 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.

EU: Life expectancy at birth by sex, 2011

5.4 EU: Life expectancy at birth by sex1, 2011
    
   years
CountryMalesFemalesGender differential
Italy80.185.3-5.2
Sweden79.983.8-3.9
Spain79.585.6-6.1
Netherlands79.483.1-3.7
Cyprus79.383.1-3.8
United Kingdom79.083.0-4.0
France78.785.7-7.0
Ireland78.683.0-4.4
Malta78.683.0-4.4
Luxembourg78.583.6-5.1
Germany78.483.2-4.8
Austria78.383.8-5.5
Belgium78.083.3-5.3
Greece78.083.6-5.6
Denmark77.881.9-4.1
Portugal77.383.8-6.5
Finland77.383.8-6.5
Slovenia76.883.3-6.5
EU76.782.6-5.9
Czech Republic74.881.1-6.3
Poland72.681.1-8.5
Slovakia72.379.8-7.5
Estonia71.481.3-9.9
Hungary71.278.7-7.5
Romania71.178.2-7.1
Bulgaria70.777.8-7.1
Latvia68.678.8-10.2
Lithuania68.179.3-11.2
    
Iceland80.784.1-3.4
Switzerland80.585.0-4.5
Norway79.183.6-4.5
Turkey74.479.8-5.4
Croatia73.880.4-6.6
Macedonia73.177.2-4.1
  Source: Eurostat
    
1 2009 data used for EU and Turkey.
Graph
Ireland: Life expectancy at birth, 2003-2011
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  • Life expectancy at birth for males in Ireland in 2011, as calculated by Eurostat, was 78.6 years, 1.9 years higher than the EU average. Female life expectancy at birth in 2011 was 83 years in Ireland, 0.4 years higher than the EU average.
  • Life expectancy at birth in the EU in 2011 for males was highest in Italy at 80.1 years and for females was highest in France at 85.7 years.
  • Life expectancy at birth was higher for females in all EU countries with the highest difference in Lithuania at 11.2 years and the lowest in the Netherlands at 3.7 years.
  • Life expectancy at birth for females in Ireland is 4.4 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 2011, from 75.7 to 78.6 years for males and from 80.7 to 83 years for females. (See chart for data.)

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