Hospital beds in Ireland 2000-2022

There were approximately 15 thousand hospital beds in Ireland in 2022. There may have been a change in methodology or definitions, which may have led to the sharp decline in hospital beds after 2009. 

Healthcare employees in Ireland

Over the same period, the number of health employees has been increasing in Ireland. In 2022, there were almost 82.1 thousand individuals employed in hospitals in Ireland, since the year 2001, this figure has increased by over 31 thousand. While in the period since 2001 the number of general practitioners in Ireland has more than doubled to 4.3 thousand in 2021.

Spending indicators on health

Ireland’s expenditure on healthcare was 6.6 percent of GDP in 2023. In comparison to other European countries, Ireland ranks relatively low on health expenditure. Germany had the highest share of expenditure on health, spending 12.7 percent of its GDP in 2022.