Health in Eastern and Midland, Ireland: official figures
Life expectancy at birth was 83.2 years in 2024 (83.1 for Ireland); 2nd highest of 3 regions in Ireland.
How healthy are people in the Eastern and Midland Region?
In Census 2022, 53.6% of people in the Eastern and Midland Region rated their own health as very good, above the national 53.2% and the highest of 3 regions on this measure.
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyHow many people have a disability in the Eastern and Midland Region?
Census 2022 counted 534,464 people with a disability to some or a great extent in the Eastern and Midland Region, 21.0% of the population against 21.5% in Ireland as a whole.
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyHow many carers are there in the Eastern and Midland Region?
137,228 residents of the Eastern and Midland Region provided regular unpaid care to someone in Census 2022, or 5.4% of the population (5.8% nationally).
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyWhat percentage of people smoke in the Eastern and Midland Region?
14.5% of people in the Eastern and Midland Region who answered the Census 2022 smoking question said they smoke tobacco, the highest of 3 regions (Ireland: 14.2%).
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyWhat is the death rate in Eastern and Midland?
Adjusting for age, 907.0 people per 100,000 died in 2021, against 914.1 for Ireland as a whole and 1,073.4 across the EU. Age-standardised rates allow fair comparison between places with older and younger populations.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of cancer in Eastern and Midland?
Cancer killed 240.3 people per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), compared with 242.9 nationally and 233.1 in the EU. In 2015 it was 277.0.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of heart disease in Eastern and Midland?
Heart and circulatory diseases caused 239.2 deaths per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), compared with 250.5 nationally and 312.9 in the EU. In 2015 it was 308.1.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of respiratory disease in Eastern and Midland?
Respiratory diseases caused 103.9 deaths per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), compared with 105.8 nationally and 75.2 in the EU. In 2015 it was 137.8.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the suicide rate in Eastern and Midland?
The age-standardised suicide rate was 7.2 per 100,000 in 2023, compared with 8.9 nationally and 10.4 in the EU. In 2015 it was 6.7.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die in accidents in Eastern and Midland?
Accidents, injuries, violence and other external causes killed 36.1 per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), compared with 38.8 nationally and 49.4 in the EU. In 2015 it was 26.2.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the infant mortality rate in Eastern and Midland?
The infant mortality rate was 3.6 per 1,000 live births in 2024 (Ireland: 3.3; EU: 3.5). In 2014 it was 2.8.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many hospital beds does Eastern and Midland have?
There were 319 hospital beds per 100,000 people in 2024 (Ireland: 293).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people go to hospital in Eastern and Midland?
Hospitals discharged 11,628 in-patients per 100,000 people in 2021, against 11,930 for Ireland as a whole.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyCan people in Eastern and Midland get medical care?
In 2025, 2.7% of people reported going without a needed medical examination because of cost, distance or waiting lists, compared with 2.7% nationally. In 2016 it was 2.5%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die on the roads in Eastern and Midland?
Road accidents killed 22 people per million residents in 2024 (Ireland: 31). In 2014 it was 35.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is life expectancy for men and women in Eastern and Midland?
Women in Eastern and Midland could expect to live to 85.0 and men to 81.4 at 2024 death rates, a gap of 3.6 years.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow long do people live after 65 in Eastern and Midland?
People who reached 65 could expect 21.1 more years of life in 2024 (Ireland: 21.0).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- 43,358 people in the Eastern and Midland Region (1.71%) said their health was bad or very bad in Census 2022; the national share was 1.74%, and the Eastern and Midland Region ranked the lowest of 3 regions. Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy
- 84,216 people aged 15 and over in the Eastern and Midland Region were unable to work because of permanent sickness or disability in Census 2022, 4.1% of that age group compared with 4.6% nationally. Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy
How Eastern and Midland compares with other statistical regions
People whose health is bad or very bad (%) (2022)
Eastern and Midland ranks 3 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People whose health is bad or very bad (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern and Western | 1.78% |
| 2 | Southern | 1.76% |
| 3 | Eastern and Midland | 1.71% |
People with a disability (%) (2022)
Eastern and Midland ranks 3 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People with a disability (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern | 22.4% |
| 2 | Northern and Western | 21.4% |
| 3 | Eastern and Midland | 21.0% |
People who smoke (%) (2022)
Eastern and Midland ranks 1 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People who smoke (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern and Midland | 14.5% |
| 2 | Southern | 14.2% |
| 3 | Northern and Western | 13.4% |
Unpaid carers (% of population) (2022)
Eastern and Midland ranks 3 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Unpaid carers (% of population) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern and Western | 6.3% |
| 2 | Southern | 6.2% |
| 3 | Eastern and Midland | 5.4% |
Deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised, all causes) (2021)
Eastern and Midland ranks 2 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised, all causes) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern | 935.6 |
| 2 | Eastern and Midland | 907.0 |
| 3 | Northern and Western | 885.5 |
Cancer deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Eastern and Midland ranks 2 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Cancer deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern | 247.3 |
| 2 | Eastern and Midland | 240.3 |
| 3 | Northern and Western | 239.4 |
Heart and circulatory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Eastern and Midland ranks 3 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Heart and circulatory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern | 260.1 |
| 2 | Northern and Western | 253.2 |
| 3 | Eastern and Midland | 239.2 |
Respiratory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Eastern and Midland ranks 2 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Respiratory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern | 109.1 |
| 2 | Eastern and Midland | 103.9 |
| 3 | Northern and Western | 102.9 |
Suicides per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Eastern and Midland ranks 3 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Suicides per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern | 10.3 |
| 2 | Northern and Western | 10.1 |
| 3 | Eastern and Midland | 7.2 |
Deaths from accidents, injury and violence per 100,000 (2023)
Eastern and Midland ranks 3 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Deaths from accidents, injury and violence per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern | 42.6 |
| 2 | Northern and Western | 36.5 |
| 3 | Eastern and Midland | 36.1 |
Infant deaths per 1,000 live births (2024)
Eastern and Midland ranks 1 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Infant deaths per 1,000 live births |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern and Midland | 3.6 |
| 2 | Northern and Western | 3.2 |
| 3 | Southern | 3.1 |
Hospital beds per 100,000 people (2024)
Eastern and Midland ranks 1 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Hospital beds per 100,000 people |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern and Midland | 319 |
| 2 | Northern and Western | 276 |
| 3 | Southern | 269 |
Hospital in-patient discharges per 100,000 (2021)
Eastern and Midland ranks 3 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Hospital in-patient discharges per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern and Western | 13,184 |
| 2 | Southern | 11,711 |
| 3 | Eastern and Midland | 11,628 |
Unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list) (2025)
Eastern and Midland ranks 2 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern | 3.6% |
| 2 | Eastern and Midland | 2.7% |
| 3 | Northern and Western | 1.2% |
Road deaths per million people (2024)
Eastern and Midland ranks 3 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Road deaths per million people |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern and Western | 58 |
| 2 | Southern | 32 |
| 3 | Eastern and Midland | 22 |
More on Eastern and Midland: overview · economy and jobs · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government and politics · Ireland
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_mlifexp: Life expectancy at birth, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 62800ed9bbb3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_mlifexp: Life expectancy by age, sex and NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f5a2a33406b9…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset hlth_cd_asdr2: Causes of death: standardised death rate by NUTS 2 region of residence, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 308c4b705d5d…)
- Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland: Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics (SAPS), all themes, by administrative county and city, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 32250e98c48a…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_minfind: Infant mortality rates by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 60cbafea3657…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset hlth_silc_08_r: Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e5484460cdfc…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset hlth_co_disch2t: Hospital discharges by diagnosis and NUTS 2 region (in-patients), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d93487a1c1f9…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset hlth_rs_bdsrg2: Hospital beds by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3178c155028f…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset tran_r_acci: Victims in road accidents by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a183ad1f888d…)
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