Spending on healthcare in Ireland was €33.5 billion in 2023, up €2.2 billion or 7% on the amount spent on healthcare in 2022.
Healthcare expenditure in Ireland was 12% of modified Gross National Income (GNI*) in 2023 compared with the OECD average of 9% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
In 2023 the Government financed 77% of healthcare expenditure and, the balance was paid for by direct payments by households and by voluntary contributions which include private health insurance.
Most healthcare spending takes place in the hospital setting, which was up 13% in 2023.
Curative and rehabilitative care generally accounts for more than half of the total healthcare expenditure and in 2023 this spend was €19.6 billion.
Long-term care generally accounts for more than 20% of healthcare spending and in 2023, this was over €7 billion.
Preliminary estimates for 2024 show total expenditure on healthcare of €36.6 billion, which is a 9% increase on 2023.
In 2023 Ireland spent €33.5 billion on current healthcare costs, equivalent to 6.6% of GDP or 11.5% of GNI*. This was a 6.9% increase over the level of spending in 2022.
The System of Health Accounts measures the current expenditure on health care for residents of Ireland. A number of classifications are used in this publication which are explained in the background notes.
| Table 1.1: Current Health Expenditure in Ireland, 2019 to 2023 | |||
| Year | € million | % of GDP | % of GNI* |
| 2019 | 24,070 | 6.6 | 11.6 |
| 2020 | 26,652 | 7.0 | 13.4 |
| 2021 | 28,935 | 6.4 | 12.5 |
| 2022 | 31,364 | 6.0 | 11.7 |
| 2023 | 33,531 | 6.6 | 11.5 |
| GNI* series used in this table taken from Annual National Accounts 2023 | |||
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (23 June 2025) released System of Health Accounts 2023.
Commenting on the release, Elaine O'Sullivan, Statistician, said: “The total spend on healthcare was €33.5 billion in 2023. While Government spending on healthcare increased by 7% in 2023, the spending by Private Health Insurance companies rose by 8%.
As a result of the growth in Ireland’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), healthcare as a percentage of GDP is below the OECD average. In 2023, healthcare expenditure in Ireland represented 7% of GDP compared with the OECD average of 9%. However, a comparison using modified Gross National Income (GNI*), a measure which eliminates globalisation effects, puts Ireland at 12%.
Most spending on healthcare occurs within the hospital setting with €13.38 billion spent in 2023. This is 13.2% more than was spent in 2022.
There was €7 billion spent on long-term health care in 2023 and this is 9% more than 2022. Spending on long-term care has increased by more than €3 billion in the 10 years since 2014.
Preliminary results for 2024 show growth of €3 billion in spending or 9% more than in 2023.”