Spending on healthcare in Ireland was €36.3 billion in 2024, up €3 billion or 9.1% on the amount spent on healthcare in 2023.
Healthcare expenditure in Ireland was 11.3% of modified Gross National Income (GNI*) in 2024 compared with the OECD average of 9.3% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
In 2024 the Government financed 78% of healthcare expenditure and, the balance was paid for by direct payments by households and by voluntary contributions which include private health insurance.
More than half of the total healthcare expenditure in 2024 was on curative and rehabilitative care, accounting for a spend of €21 billion. This represents an increase of 10% on 2023, with a slightly higher spend on day-patients.
Almost €15 billion was spent within hospital settings in 2024, up 11% on 2023.
Long-term care generally accounts for 22% of healthcare spending and in 2024 stood at €8 billion.
The spending on ambulatory healthcare providers was €8 billion in 2024 or 21% of total spend. This category includes general practitioners, dentists and other medical practices as well as providers of home care.
Preliminary estimates for 2025 show total expenditure on healthcare of €38.8 billion, which is a 7% increase on 2024.
In 2024 Ireland spent €36.3 billion on current healthcare costs, equivalent to 6.5% of GDP or 11.3% of GNI*. This was a 9.1% increase over the level of spending in 2023.
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, 2020 to 2024 | |||
| Year | € million | % of GDP | % of GNI* |
| 2020 | 26,492 | 6.9 | 13.4 |
| 2021 | 28,787 | 6.4 | 12.5 |
| 2022 | 30,985 | 6.0 | 11.6 |
| 2023 | 33,272 | 6.3 | 11.4 |
| 2024 | 36,302 | 6.5 | 11.3 |
| GNI* series used in this table taken from Annual National Accounts 2024 | |||
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (17 June 2026) released System of Health Accounts 2024.
Commenting on the release, Elaine O'Sullivan, Statistician, said: “The total spend on healthcare was €36.3 billion in 2024. Government spending on healthcare increased by 9.5% in 2024, while the spending by Private Health Insurance companies rose by 7.7%.
As a result of the growth in Ireland’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), healthcare as a percentage of GDP was below the OECD average. In 2024, healthcare expenditure in Ireland represented 6.5% of GDP compared with the OECD average of 9.3%. However, a comparison using modified Gross National Income (GNI*), a measure which eliminates globalisation effects, puts Ireland at 11.3%.
Most spending on healthcare occurs within the hospital setting with €14.7 billion spent in 2024. Expenditure in hospital settings has more than doubled in the 10 years since 2015.
There was €7.6 billion spent on care provided by medical practices and home care providers in 2024 and this was 8.2% more than 2023.
Preliminary results for 2025 show growth of €2.5 billion in spending or 7% more than in 2024.”