Older adults in Ireland are continuing to experience positive levels of health and
wellbeing, according to the latest Health at a Glance: Europe 2024 report published
by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The report includes a range of indicators, showing how older people in Ireland fare in
terms of life expectancy, healthcare access, and healthy ageing.
The report shows that:
- Ireland has one of the highest rates of estimated healthy life years at age 65, at 11.6 years, compared with the EU average of 9.1 years, but behind Norway (14.5 years), Sweden (13.9 years), and Malta (12.1 years).
- Ireland has one of the lowest rates of people aged 65 and over reporting to be in bad or very bad health, at 9.2 per cent, compared with the EU average of 18.5 per cent.
- The number of people in Ireland aged 65 and over having at least one chronic disease is also well below the EU average, at 48.9 per cent compared to 60.3 per cent.
Life expectancy at birth in Ireland is 82.6 years, which ranks us seventh in the EU,
above the EU average of 81.5 years. The report also notes that Ireland, together with
Luxembourg and Iceland, has the lowest proportion of people aged 65 and over, at
15 per cent. However, while we currently have a relatively young population, the
share of population aged 65 and over is projected to increase by more than two-
thirds between 2023 and 2050.
The OECD’s annual report also illustrates some areas of concern. Only 22 per cent
of persons aged 65 and over in the EU achieve the WHO recommendation on
minimum physical activity per week, with Ireland lagging marginally behind this figure
at 21.8 per cent.
Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, said: “Ireland has one of
the highest life expectancy in the EU, and credit must be paid to all those who work
in our healthcare services, community and acute. Ensuring the voice and choice of
our older population in relation to decisions made are paramount.”
