New data shows that Ireland has the highest life expectancy across all EU nations for 2022.
‘Health in Ireland: Key Trends 2022’ shows that Irish women live an average of 84 years, compared to 81 for men. This puts Ireland ahead of 27 EU nations in terms of longevity, with countries such as Cyprus and Spain also polling with high life expectancies at birth.
The data showed that male life expectancy in particular was consistently high when compared to other EU countries. While Ireland’s life expectancy has increased by an average of two years since 2010, short term trends indicate this took a dip between 2019-2020, likely due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Additionally, Ireland is beginning to show signs of an ageing population. While demographics here have in the past been deemed as relatively young compared to other EU countries, the over 65 population is now accelerating in growth.
The population aged over 65 has increased by 36% overall since 2012, a considerably faster pace than most of our EU counterparts.The numbers of people in this age group are expected to almost double in the next 20 years, with the greatest proportional increase in the 85+ age group.
However, the good news is that Ireland continues to see reductions in mortality rates. The increase in life expectancy is attributed to better care of patients suffering from cancer and heart disease.
Respiratory disease remains one of the main health problems posing risks to mortality. While there has been an overall decrease in the number of deaths associated with respiratory issues, the mortality rate from respiratory disease remains 25 % higher here than in other European countries, such as Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands and Norway.
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