Health in Northern and Western, Ireland: official figures
Life expectancy at birth was 83.2 years in 2024 (83.1 for Ireland); the highest of 3 regions in Ireland.
How healthy are people in the Northern and Western Region?
52.7% of residents of the Northern and Western Region described their health as very good in Census 2022, compared with 53.2% nationally (the lowest of 3 regions).
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyHow many people have a disability in the Northern and Western Region?
Census 2022 counted 194,048 people with a disability to some or a great extent in the Northern and Western Region, 21.4% 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 Northern and Western Region?
Unpaid carers made up 6.3% of the population of the Northern and Western Region in Census 2022 (56,783 people), above the national 5.8%.
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyWhat percentage of people smoke in the Northern and Western Region?
13.4% of people in the Northern and Western Region who answered the Census 2022 smoking question said they smoke tobacco, the lowest of 3 regions (Ireland: 14.2%).
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyWhat is the death rate in Northern and Western?
Adjusting for age, 885.5 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 Northern and Western?
The age-standardised cancer death rate was 239.4 per 100,000 in 2023, compared with 242.9 nationally and 233.1 in the EU. In 2015 it was 265.7.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of heart disease in Northern and Western?
The age-standardised death rate from heart attacks, strokes and other circulatory diseases was 253.2 per 100,000 in 2023, compared with 250.5 nationally and 312.9 in the EU. In 2015 it was 316.9.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of respiratory disease in Northern and Western?
Respiratory diseases caused 102.9 deaths per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), compared with 105.8 nationally and 75.2 in the EU. In 2015 it was 137.0.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the suicide rate in Northern and Western?
The age-standardised suicide rate was 10.1 per 100,000 in 2023, compared with 8.9 nationally and 10.4 in the EU. In 2015 it was 12.0.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die in accidents in Northern and Western?
Accidents, injuries, violence and other external causes killed 36.5 per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), compared with 38.8 nationally and 49.4 in the EU. In 2015 it was 36.2.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the infant mortality rate in Northern and Western?
3.2 babies in every 1,000 born alive died before their first birthday in 2024, compared with 3.3 nationally and 3.5 in the EU. In 2014 it was 4.0.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many hospital beds does Northern and Western have?
There were 276 hospital beds per 100,000 people in 2024, compared with 293 nationally.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people go to hospital in Northern and Western?
Hospitals discharged 13,184 in-patients per 100,000 people in 2021, against 11,930 for Ireland as a whole.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyCan people in Northern and Western get medical care?
In 2025, 1.2% of people reported going without a needed medical examination because of cost, distance or waiting lists (Ireland: 2.7%). In 2016 it was 3.4%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die on the roads in Northern and Western?
There were 58 road deaths per million people in 2024, compared with 31 nationally. In 2014 it was 52.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is life expectancy for men and women in Northern and Western?
Women in Northern and Western could expect to live to 85.1 and men to 81.5 at 2024 death rates, a gap of 3.6 years.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow long do people live after 65 in Northern and Western?
People who reached 65 could expect 21.2 more years of life in 2024 (Ireland: 21.0).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- 16,078 people in the Northern and Western Region (1.78%) said their health was bad or very bad in Census 2022; the national share was 1.74%, and the Northern and Western Region ranked the highest of 3 regions. Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy
- 34,383 people aged 15 and over in the Northern and Western Region were unable to work because of permanent sickness or disability in Census 2022, 4.7% of that age group compared with 4.6% nationally. Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy
How Northern and Western compares with other statistical regions
People whose health is bad or very bad (%) (2022)
Northern and Western ranks 1 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)
Northern and Western ranks 2 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)
Northern and Western ranks 3 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)
Northern and Western ranks 1 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)
Northern and Western ranks 3 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)
Northern and Western ranks 3 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)
Northern and Western ranks 2 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)
Northern and Western ranks 3 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)
Northern and Western ranks 2 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)
Northern and Western ranks 2 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)
Northern and Western ranks 2 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)
Northern and Western ranks 2 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)
Northern and Western ranks 1 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)
Northern and Western ranks 3 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)
Northern and Western ranks 1 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 Northern and Western: 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…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.