National Healthcare Statistics 2024
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From: Department of Health
- Published on: 29 February 2024
- Last updated on: 6 March 2024
The National Healthcare Statistics data is an annual exercise conducted by the Department of Health. These statistics are compiled as part of the Non-Monetary Health Care Statistics questionnaire, administered jointly by; Eurostat, OECD and WHO in fulfilment of the European regulation (EU) 2022/2294.
Main results, key data (available in csv table format) and metadata for the 2024 National Healthcare Statistics compilation are summarised and available below. Internationally comparative data is also available on the Eurostat database and the OECD statistical database.
Physicians
- It is estimated that the number of practicing physicians in Ireland for 2023 stood at 20,135 physicians.
- It is estimated that in 2023, 53.0% of practicing physicians were male, while 27.7% of all practicing physicians were aged under 35 years. It is further estimated that 6.5% of all practicing physicians in 2023 were aged 65 and over.
- It is estimated that 54.2% of all practicing physicians in 2023 were practicing in the generalist medical practitioners field. From the specialists practicing physicians, it is estimated that 7.7% were practicing as general paediatricians and 12.7% as psychiatrists for the same reference year.
- From the 29,573 physicians that are licensed to practice in Ireland in 2023, 43.4% have had obtained their first medical qualification outside of Ireland. Pakistan, Sudan and the United Kingdom were the top 3 countries for these foreign trained physicians, in that ranking order.
JQ01 Physicians by Age and Gender - CSV
JQ02 Physicians by Catagory - CSV
JQ03 Stock of Doctors by Country of Training - CSV
Midwives and nurses
- The number of practicing midwives in Ireland for 2023 stood at 4,251 midwives, an increase of 1.0% from the previous year.
- The number of practicing nurses in Ireland for 2023 stood at 72,543 nurses, an increase of 7.0% from the previous year.
- In 2023, 51.8% of practicing nurses have had obtained their first nursing qualification outside of Ireland. India, the United Kingdom and the Philippines were the top 3 countries for these foreign trained nurses, in that ranking order.
JQ06 Stock of Nurses by Country of Training - CSV
Other healthcare professionals
- The number of practicing caring personnel in Ireland for 2023 stood at 27,995 carers, an increase of 2.9% from the previous year.
- It is estimated that the number of practicing dentists in Ireland for 2023 stood at 2,466 dentists, an increase of 5.8% from the previous year.
- The number of practicing pharmacists in Ireland for 2023 stood at 5,744 pharmacists, an increase of 0.5% from the previous year.
- The number of practicing physiotherapists in Ireland for 2023 stood at 5,926 physiotherapists, an increase of 5.6% from the previous year.
Healthcare graduates
- Graduates in health-related fields of study amounted to a total of 3,400 students in 2022, an increase of 2.9% from the previous year. These fields of study include; medicine, nursing, midwifery, dentistry and pharmacy.
- Of the total health related graduates in 2022, 49.0% graduated in the nursing field, followed by medical graduates at 39.0%.
- Graduates in midwifery and dentistry had the least number of graduates out of these listed health related fields of study, at 3.5% and 2.6% in 2022, respectively.
JQ11 Graduates in Health Fields of Study - CSV
Hospital and surgical activities
- During 2022, there were a total of 753,821 inpatient discharges, with an average length of stay of 6.0 days.
- A total of 19,560 discharges were related to psychiatric care, with an average length of stay of 18.8 days for the same reference year.
- The most common surgical procedure, from the available surgical procedures short-list, in 2022 was cataract surgery with a total of 39,347 procedures, with most of these procedures being day cases (98.3%). This was followed by caesarean section surgery with 20,537 procedures and hip replacement surgery with 12,830 procedures, with nearly all of these procedures being inpatient cases.
JQ12 Hospital Activities - CSV
JQ13 Surgical Procedures - CSV
Hospitals and hospital beds
- In 2023, there were a total of 86 hospitals in Ireland, 77.9% of which were publicly administered hospitals. From these total hospitals, 65.1% were general hospitals.
- A total of 15,009 hospital inpatient beds were available in 2022 in public, private and psychiatric hospital settings, an increase of 3.0% from the previous year.
- From the total hospital beds in 2022, 88.1% of hospital beds were in a public hospital setting.
- From the total hospital beds in 2022, 93.3% of hospital beds were used for curative purposes, while the remaining 6.7% were used for rehabilitative or long-term care purposes.
- From the total hospital beds in 2022, 11.2% of the hospital beds were used for psychiatric care.
- Long-term care nursing beds in residential facilities in 2022 amounted to 32,155, an increase of 1.5% from the previous year.
JQ14 Hospitals by Sector - CSV
JQ15 Hospital Beds by Function - CSV
JQ16 Hospital Beds by Sector - CSV
JQ17 Long-term Care Nursing Beds - CSV
Medical technology
- In 2023, a total of; 102 CT scanners, 9 PET scanners, 29 gamma cameras and 51 radiation therapy equipment were operational in Ireland.
- A total of 89 MRI units were operational in 2023, 84.3% of which were being used in a hospital setting.