Irish living 2.5 years more than in 2005

Life expectancy in Ireland has increased by two and a half years since 2005. Irish male life expectancy has been consistently higher than the EU average for the last decade. Life expectancy is now 79.6 years for men and 83.4 for women.

According to the 10th edition of ‘Health in Ireland: Key Trends’, published yesterday by the Department of Health, much of this increase is due to reductions in circulatory system diseases and cancer.

Cigarette consumption has declined over the past decade, while alcohol consumption increased slightly in 2016.