Health in Southern, Ireland: official figures
Life expectancy at birth was 82.7 years in 2024 (83.1 for Ireland); the lowest of 3 regions in Ireland.
How healthy are people in the Southern Region?
In Census 2022, 53.0% of people in the Southern Region rated their own health as very good, below the national 53.2% and the 2nd highest of 3 regions on this measure.
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyHow many people have a disability in the Southern Region?
Census 2022 counted 381,045 people with a disability to some or a great extent in the Southern Region, 22.4% 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 Southern Region?
105,117 residents of the Southern Region provided regular unpaid care to someone in Census 2022, or 6.2% of the population (5.8% nationally).
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyWhat percentage of people smoke in the Southern Region?
14.2% of people in the Southern Region who answered the Census 2022 smoking question said they smoke tobacco, the 2nd highest of 3 regions (Ireland: 14.2%).
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyWhat is the death rate in Southern?
The age-standardised death rate from all causes was 935.6 per 100,000 people in 2021, compared with 914.1 nationally and 1,073.4 in 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 Southern?
Cancer killed 247.3 people per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised) (Ireland: 242.9; EU: 233.1). In 2015 it was 275.8.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of heart disease in Southern?
Heart and circulatory diseases caused 260.1 deaths per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised) (Ireland: 250.5; EU: 312.9). In 2015 it was 351.7.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of respiratory disease in Southern?
Respiratory diseases caused 109.1 deaths per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised) (Ireland: 105.8; EU: 75.2). In 2015 it was 136.9.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the suicide rate in Southern?
The age-standardised suicide rate was 10.3 per 100,000 in 2023 (Ireland: 8.9; EU: 10.4). In 2015 it was 11.9.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die in accidents in Southern?
Accidents, injuries, violence and other external causes killed 42.6 per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised) (Ireland: 38.8; EU: 49.4). In 2015 it was 39.7.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the infant mortality rate in Southern?
3.1 babies in every 1,000 born alive died before their first birthday in 2024, against 3.3 for Ireland as a whole and 3.5 across the EU. In 2014 it was 3.9.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many hospital beds does Southern have?
There were 269 hospital beds per 100,000 people in 2024, against 293 for Ireland as a whole.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people go to hospital in Southern?
Hospitals discharged 11,711 in-patients per 100,000 people in 2021, compared with 11,930 nationally.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyCan people in Southern get medical care?
3.6% of people said they could not get a medical examination they needed in 2025 because it was too expensive, too far or the waiting list was too long, compared with 2.7% nationally. In 2016 it was 2.2%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die on the roads in Southern?
Road accidents killed 32 people per million residents in 2024, against 31 for Ireland as a whole. In 2014 it was 44.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is life expectancy for men and women in Southern?
Women in Southern could expect to live to 84.2 and men to 81.3 at 2024 death rates, a gap of 2.9 years.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow long do people live after 65 in Southern?
People who reached 65 could expect 20.8 more years of life in 2024 (Ireland: 21.0).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- 29,963 people in the Southern Region (1.76%) said their health was bad or very bad in Census 2022; the national share was 1.74%, and the Southern Region ranked the 2nd highest of 3 regions. Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy
- 70,709 people aged 15 and over in the Southern Region were unable to work because of permanent sickness or disability in Census 2022, 5.2% of that age group compared with 4.6% nationally. Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy
How Southern compares with other statistical regions
People whose health is bad or very bad (%) (2022)
Southern ranks 2 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)
Southern ranks 1 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)
Southern ranks 2 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)
Southern ranks 2 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)
Southern ranks 1 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)
Southern ranks 1 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)
Southern ranks 1 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)
Southern ranks 1 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)
Southern ranks 1 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)
Southern ranks 1 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)
Southern ranks 3 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)
Southern ranks 3 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)
Southern ranks 2 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)
Southern ranks 1 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)
Southern ranks 2 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 Southern: 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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