Health spending as a share of total government spending in Ireland
Ireland: Health spending as a share of total government spending was 22.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Health spending as a share of total government spending in Ireland, 2000–2023
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for health spending as a share of total government spending in Ireland is 22.2%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and up 23.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, health spending as a share of total government spending in Ireland peaked at 22.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 12.4%, in 2010.
That places Ireland 5th out of 195 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Health spending as a share of total government spending in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 15.0% | — |
| 2001 | 15.6% | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 16.0% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 16.9% | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 17.4% | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 18.3% | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 17.4% | -4.5% |
| 2007 | 17.4% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 17.4% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 17.3% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 12.4% | -28.6% |
| 2011 | 16.2% | +31.0% |
| 2012 | 17.9% | +10.8% |
| 2013 | 17.9% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 18.0% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 18.1% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 19.3% | +6.3% |
| 2017 | 19.9% | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 20.1% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 20.5% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 20.3% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 21.0% | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 22.4% | +6.7% |
| 2023 | 22.2% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.9% | 15.0% | 18.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.0% | 12.4% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.4% | 20.3% | 22.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More health data for Ireland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -4.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.89 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,122 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 20 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0229 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 5.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0168 units per person (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 348 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, per capita 0.0001 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is health spending as a share of total government spending in Ireland?
- Health spending as a share of total government spending in Ireland was 22.2% in 2023, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest health spending as a share of total government spending recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 22.4% in 2022.
- What is the lowest health spending as a share of total government spending recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.4% in 2010.
- How does Ireland rank for health spending as a share of total government spending?
- Ireland ranks 5th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is health spending as a share of total government spending rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Health spending as a share of total government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Domestic general government health expenditure expressed as a percentage of total expenditure of the general government.