Healthy Ireland Survey 2025

The Healthy Ireland Survey is an annual survey, conducted with a representative sample of the population aged 15 and older living in Ireland. Fieldwork to date has been conducted by Ipsos B&A.

The data from the Healthy Ireland Survey is used to underpin policy development and implementation, to monitor, measure and evaluate progress in implementing various elements of the Healthy Ireland Framework, as well as to meet many international reporting obligations, including to the OECD, the EU and the WHO.

The 2025 Survey marks 10 years since the publication of the first Healthy Ireland Survey, in 2015; changes over 10 years are noted in the 2025 Survey report, where 10 year comparisons are possible.

For the 2025 Survey, a representative sample of 7,556 people, aged 15 and older and living in Ireland were interviewed via phone, between October 2024 and April 2025.

This report provides an overview of results from the eleventh wave of the Healthy Ireland Survey.

The main findings of the 2025 Healthy Ireland Survey are summarised below:

• In 2025, 82% report being in “good” or “very good” health.
• Although those reporting good or very good health have decreased since 2015 (85%), this year’s result suggests a slight improvement over the past two years from 80% in 2023.
• 39% have a long-term health condition that has been confirmed by a medical diagnosis, a decrease of 1 point since 2024 (40%). This compares roughly to 28% who reported being limited by a longstanding health condition lasting 6 months or more, in 2015.
• Improvements in general health perceptions have been noted in older adults, with 69% of older adults reporting good or very good health, as compared to 60% in 2015.
• The most common conditions are high blood pressure (8%), followed by arthritis (7%), high cholesterol, asthma and diabetes (all 5%) and mental health conditions (3%).
• 36% report long lasting conditions, difficulties or disabilities, with 24% of people limited and 4% severely limited in everyday activities as a result.
• The proportion that are severely limited has remained stable at 4% since 2016, however, the proportion limited, but not severely, has risen by 4 points since 2019.

• 17% of the population are current smokers, with 13% smoking daily and 4% occasionally. Smoking rates have remained static since 2019.
• Smoking is higher amongst men (20%) than women (14%) and amongst those with a Leaving Certificate or lower (21%) than those with higher levels of education (11%).
• 30% of the population are ex-smokers. 46% of those who have smoked in the past year have attempted to quit smoking.
• During their last attempt to quit, 67% of smokers did so without using any quitting aids.
• Of the 33% of people who used at least one quit aid during their last attempt to quit, 18% used nicotine patches, gum, lozenges or spray, 11% used an e-cigarette and 2% used a nicotine pouch/pod. Only 1% used www.quit.ie to help them quit during their last attempt.
• 8% of the population currently use e-cigarettes either daily (5%) or occasionally (3%), with a further 12% reporting they have tried them in the past but no longer use them. In 2022, 6% were current users of e-cigarettes.
• A fifth (20%) of women aged 15-24 use e-cigarettes either daily or occasionally; the rate for men of the same age group is 16%.

• 77% of the population have never tried an e-cigarette. 8% of the population currently use e-cigarettes either daily (5%) or occasionally (3%), with a further 15% saying they have tried them in the past but no longer use them.
• E-cigarette usage is highest among younger people, with 18% of those aged 15-24 claiming to use one daily (11%) or occasionally (7%). Among this age group, usage is higher among women (19%) than men (16%), with usage dropping by 4-points in men (down from 20% in 2024) and increasing by 4 points for women (19%, up from 15% in 2024).
• 50% of all e-cigarette users are ex-smokers, while 33% of e-cigarette users are current smokers (Daily: 18%, Occasionally: 15%). The remaining 17% have never smoked.
• Of those that use e-cigarettes daily or occasionally, 36% use disposable devices, 49% use devices that can be refilled, and the remaining 26% use devices that can be recharged with a disposable single-use cartridge.
• 38%of e-cigarette users buy e-cigarettes, e-liquids or cartridges in specialist e-cigarette retailers and 27% buy them from newsagents, off-licences, or corner shops. Other less common but notable locations people buy e-cigarettes include petrol stations (12%), supermarkets (10%), and specialist e-cigarette retailers (7%).
• 38% perceive e-cigarettes as more harmful than cigarettes, 36% thought they are equally harmful, and 11% felt they are less harmful. The remaining 15% said they did not know.
• 1% of the population currently use nicotine pouches either daily (1%) or occasionally (<1%), with 6% saying they have tried them in the past but no longer use them.

• 71% of individuals aged 15 or older report consuming alcohol during the past 12 months. This is a 2-point decrease from 2024 (73%).
• Over three-quarters (78%) of men report drinking alcohol in the past 12 months, compared to 74% of women.
• 35% of people drink at least once a week. This is down 3 points from 2023 (38%).
• 20% drink multiple times per week – a slight decrease from 2023 (21%).
• 26% of the population are binge drinkers on a typical drinking occasion (i.e. drink at least standard 6 units of alcohol). This is 4-points down from the first wave in 2015 (30%).
• Men are more likely than women to binge drink (40% and 12% respectively), with younger people more likely to do so than older people (15-24 year olds: 36%, 75+ year olds: 7%).
• 25% of the population said that they drink non-alcoholic beer, wine or spirits.
• 56% of people who drink non-alcoholic drinks said they do so when they need to drive home. 29% said they drink them to reduce alcohol consumption for health reasons and 16% said they do when they need to get up early the next day and don’t want a hangover. 13% said they drink non-alcoholic drinks because they prefer them to regular alcoholic drinks.

• 20% of the population are at risk of hazardous or harmful drinking. Of these, 18% have AUDIT scores between 8 to 15, 1% have scores between 16 to 19 indicating higher risk and a further 1% have scores of 20 or more, indicating a possible alcohol dependence.
• Men (29%) are more likely than women (11%) to be at risk of hazardous drinking (i.e. AUDIT score of 8 or higher). People aged 15 to 24 have the highest rate of hazardous drinking for both men (39%) and women (25%).
• People educated with a degree or higher (17%) are less likely to be at risk of hazardous drinking, whereas people educated to upper secondary level (25%) are more likely to.
• Students (46%) are more likely to be at risk of hazardous drinking, whereas those engaged in home duties (7%) and people in retirement (10%) are less likely to.
• 36% of people (51% of drinkers) drink alcohol at a harmful level. Men (47%) are more likely than women (25%) to drink at a harmful level.
• As with overall alcohol consumption, harmful drinking rates have decreased for both men and women since 2015. However, this decrease is not equally shared across all ages or genders. For instance, while both men and women aged 25 to 34 saw a considerable decrease in harmful drinking rates (22-points down for men and 13-points down for women), among those aged 15-24 there is an 8-point increase for women and no change for men in this age group.

For the first time, the Healthy Ireland Survey included a module focusing on women’s experiences with menopause and related symptoms, also examining which, if any, supports, including medication, that they sought to help with symptoms. For the purpose of the Survey, peri-menopause and menopause are divided into 3 stages as follows:

Perimenopause: The lead-up to menopause when the signs and symptoms of menopause are first observed, ending one year after the final menstrual period. In this phase, women are still having periods, but they are experiencing symptoms.

Menopause transition: Menopause itself is a retrospective diagnosis as it can only be made after a full year without periods above the age of 50 or 2 years without if under 50. It generally occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. However, in recognition of the reality that menopause symptoms can take years after the cessation of periods to ease, we are using a working definition of menopause transition to describe the early years after the cessation of periods, in which many women experience debilitating symptoms.

Post-menopause: As soon as a woman has been through menopause, she immediately becomes postmenopausal and will remain so for the rest of her life. However, for the purposes of the Survey we are defining the post menopause phase as those who have had 5 years or more without a period. It is common for a woman to continue to experience symptoms five to seven years after the cessation of periods, and in some cases even longer.

• 8% of women reported that they are in the perimenopause phase, 7% said they are in the menopause transition phase, 28% said they are in the post-menopause phase (i.e. 5 years or more without a period). 3% said they are using a hormonal coil or implant so couldn’t tell and 3% didn’t know if they were experiencing menopause.
• Women aged between 45 and 54 are the most likely to be experiencing menopause symptoms. Among women aged 45 to 49, 38% said they are in the perimenopause phase and 13% said they are in the menopause transition phase. Among women aged 50 to 54, 24% said they are in the perimenopause phase and 35% said they are in the menopause transition phase.
• 77% of women who are experiencing or have experienced menopause reported temperature regulation issues. Other symptoms reported by most women are changes in menstruation/ periods (67%), fatigue (66%), difficulty sleeping or insomnia (56%), increases in low mood or rapid mood changes (56%), difficulty with memory or concentration (i.e. brain fog) (53%), and changes in weight or body shape (51%).
• 84% of women who are currently going through or have gone through menopause said they experienced symptoms. Of these, 13% reported that their symptoms are severe and significantly impacted their life, 33% felt they had/ have a moderate impact on their life, and 38% reported that their symptoms are mild and had a mild impact on their life.
• 69% of women in perimenopause said they sought medical support for their symptoms. Of those seeking support, 84% accessed support from a general practitioner, 17% from a specialist menopause clinic, 13% from other health professionals and 5% from an alternative medicine practitioner.
• 51% of women in perimenopause have taken medication for their symptoms. Of those reporting taking HRT, 93% said it is either very (55%) or somewhat (38%) effective.

• 34% of people aged 18 or above said that they or their partner currently use contraception or family planning. 66% do not currently use any form of contraception (3% don’t do so because they are trying to conceive).
• Overall, men (34%) and women (35%) are equally likely to say they use a form of contraception, although women aged between 25 and 54 are more likely than men in the same age group to use contraception (50% and 46% respectively).
• 61% are aware of the Free Contraception Scheme. Awareness is higher among women (75%) than men (46%). Awareness is higher among younger people; 87% of women aged 18 to 24, and 76% of those aged 25 to 34 are aware of the scheme, compared with 62% and 51% respectively of men in these age groups.
• 45% of heterosexual women aged 18 to 55 say they do not currently use any form of contraception. 20% use prescription contraceptives, 14% use barrier contraception, 2% use sterilisation, and less than 1% use natural family planning methods.
• For prescription contraceptives, the contraceptive pill (10%) is the most common, followed by the hormonal (5%) and copper coils (3%). Women aged 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 are the most likely to use the contraceptive pill (18 to 24: 26%, 25 to 34: 23%).
• The hormonal coil is more commonly used by women aged 35 to 44 (12%) and those aged 45 to 54 (15%). Notably, women who said they are experiencing perimenopause (18%) or menopause transition (10%) are more likely to report using hormonal coils.

• On average, people report sleeping for 6.9 hours on a regular weeknight or worknight. This is consistent with the finding from 2024 (average of 6.9 hours) but is slightly lower than in 2019 (average of 7.1 hours).
• 32% of the population report sleeping for six-hours or less. This is consistent with last year’s figures but is 7-points higher than in 2019 (2024: 33%, 2019: 25%).
• 35% report sleeping for six-to-seven hours and 28% of people report sleeping between seven-to-eight hours. The proportion of people sleeping six-to-seven hours is higher than in 2024 and 2019 (2024: 31%, 2019: 32%). For those sleeping seven-to-eight hours, figures are consistent with last year but are 6-points lower than in 2019 (2024: 29%, 2019: 34%).
• 5% of the population sleep for more than 8 hours on an average weeknight. This is 2-points lower than 2024 and 5-points down from 2019 (2024: 7%, 2019: 10%).
• There is no notable difference in the average reported sleep between men (6.9 hours) and women (6.8). Younger adults aged 15 to 24 have the longest average sleep duration (7.1 hours) and those aged 55 to 64 have the shortest average sleep duration (6.7 hours).
• Women aged 55 to 64 (44%) are the most likely to say they sleep for six hours or less and men aged 15 to 24 (19%) are the least likely to report this.

• Women (17%) are more likely than men (11%) to say they are carers. This 6-point gap aligns with findings from 2022 and 2023, which also noted 6-point differences (2023: Men, 9%, Women 15%; 2022: Men, 7%, Women 13%).
• Women aged between 45 and 54 (28%) and 55 and 64 (26%) are the most likely to report being carers and men aged 15 to 24 (6%) and 25 to 34 (7%) are the least likely to say they are carers.
• 69% of carers provide care for a person aged 65 or older, with 27% providing care to someone aged between 71 and 80 and 38% provide care to someone aged 81 or older.
• 76% of carers aged 45 or older provide care to someone aged 65 or older, compared with 58% of carers younger than 45. In contrast, carers younger than 45 (10%) are more likely than those aged 45 or older (5%) to care for a child aged 10 or younger.

• Women comprise 60% of all carers, rising to 65% among parent-carers; midlife women account for 27% of adult carers and 55% of parent-carers. Among women aged 35–54, 18% care for another family member or friend and 12% are also a parent; higher than men of the same age (11% and 7%).
• Self-reported good health is similar to other women in this age group, but longstanding illness is slightly higher (40% vs. 37% among all women 35-54).
• Health behaviours are mixed: 13% of midlife women carers smoke and 5% use e-cigarettes, in line with other women of the same age. However, alcohol consumption is higher: 25% of mid-life women carers drink several times a week (vs. 18% of all women in this age group).
• Mid-life women carers also report poorer quality sleep with 52% reporting good/very good sleep compared to 61% generally among mid-life women.

• 80% of people report having visited a GP in the previous 12 months, with an average of 4.1 visits per person among all aged 15 and older. This average includes those who have not visited a GP.
• The proportion of people who said they attended a GP in the previous 12 months is now at the highest point since reporting began in 2015 (when the figure was 71%).
• The proportion of both genders visiting the GP is broadly unchanged since last year with women remaining more likely than men to have visited a GP during the past 12 months (women: 86%, men: 74%). In line with previous years, the gender gap remains up to the age of 55, with broadly equal levels of GP attendance above this age.
• 88% of those with a full medical card and 90% of those with a GP Visit card attended a GP in the previous 12 months, with an average of 6.2 and 4.8 visits respectively. This compares to 74% among private patients with an average of 2.9 visits.
• Those with a GP Visit card show the largest increase in GP attendance since 2015, with a 17-point increase to 90%. The proportion of those with a medical card attending a GP has also increased, by 6-points to 88%. The proportion of private patients visiting a GP has increased by 3 points from 2015 (2015: 71%, 2025: 74%).
• 39% of respondents report using dentists/orthodontists, and 18% report using primary/community care. Of the range of primary/community care services available, physiotherapy is the most used, with 42% of those accessing services during the past 12 months reporting that they used physiotherapy services most recently. 14% used ophthalmology services and 13% accessed psychology/counselling services most recently.
• Of those using a healthcare service in the past 12 months, 57% paid for this service, with the median price paid being €70. People without a medical card (71%) and/or private health insurance (71%) are more likely to say they paid for a service.