Population trends show need to plan ahead

It is not uncommon to hear commentators of a certain persuasion lament the fact that Ireland’s expenditure in areas such as health is significantly lower as a percentage of GDP than in many other developed economies.

Indeed last year, it is estimated that total expenditure on health in Ireland was equivalent to somewhere in the region of 8.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) or over 10% of gross national product (GNP), which is a more meaningful measure in the Irish context.

In contrast, the French spend around 11.9% of GDP on health, and the Swedes and the British around 9.6% of GDP.