Life expectancy in Ireland has increased by almost two and a half years since 2006, a new Department of Health study has found.

The 'Health in Ireland: Key Trends 2018' says male life expectancy has been consistently higher than the EU average throughout the last decade.

Much of this increase is due to significant reductions in major causes of death such as circulatory system diseases and cancer.

The overall mortality rate has reduced by 14.9% since 2008.

As seen in most European countries however, the rate of improvement in Ireland's life expectancy has begun to slow in recent years.

The report also highlights the challenges that persist in terms of the accessibility of timely and efficient healthcare.

Key trends

It found that over the past decade people have added, on average, three months per year to their life expectancy, which is currently standing at 83.6 years for women and 79.9 years for men.

The life expectancy gap between men and women has narrowed from 5.6 years to 3.7 years.

Life expectancy at birth for women in Ireland was 3.7 years longer than for men in 2016 - this has improved from a 5.6 year difference in 1996.

While Irish men are living longer than their European counterparts.

Male life expectancy in Ireland has been above the EU average over the past decade.

The life expectancy at birth for men in Ireland has been consistently greater than that of the EU average by over a year.

Female life expectancy in Ireland matches the EU average.

Mortality rates

The increase in life expectancy is due to significant reductions in major causes of death such as circulatory system diseases and cancer.

This decrease is particularly strong for mortality rates from stroke (-39%), breast cancer (-16%), suicide (-26%) and pneumonia (-39%).

The overall mortality rate has reduced by 14.9% since 2008.

There have been improvements seen in survival rates from breast, cervical, colon and rectal cancer in the last 15 years.

However, with the exception of rectal cancer, five-year net survival rates are lower in Ireland than the average for OECD countries where data is available.

There has also been a 26% reduction in the mortality rate from suicide since 2008.

After a rise in the male suicide rate from 2008 to 2012, the three-year moving average has decreased and the latest figures (from 2015) have fallen below the EU average for the first time since 2010.

While over half of Irish men binge drink on a typical day of drinking, compared to just under 20% of women in 2018.

A gender gap is present across all age groups, but the highest rates of binge drinking are among the 15-24 age group.

The number of patients waiting for an inpatient or day case procedure has fallen by 24%.

The total number of patients waiting over nine months for an inpatient or day case procedure has fallen by 5,300 - or 24% - since October 2017 to 15,523 as of Oct 2018.

And less than 2% of the population donate blood.

Both the number of blood donations and the percentage of donors in the Irish population have declined in the past five years. The percentage of blood donors in the population in 2017 was 1.7%.

"Where we need to improve"

In welcoming the report, Health Mininster Simon Harris said: "Health in Ireland: Key Trends gives us the opportunity to assess the performance of the Irish health system, and highlights where things are going well, and where we need to improve.

"It also shows the importance of good quality data to health professionals and policy makers alike in providing a high-quality health service for our population as we implement Sláintecare.

"These reports help us shape the way we plan our health service into the future.

"A striking feature is the growth in the number of people aged over 65. Each year this cohort increases by almost 20,000 people.

"This trend is set to continue and will have implications for future planning and health service delivery."

"The largest proportional increases in the population in Ireland will be in the category of those aged 85 years and older.

"The number of people aged 65 and over will grow from one-fifth to over one-third of the working population over the next two decades which will have implications on how we fund our health services. This is a good thing - people are living longer, but we need to ensure they live well."