The Healthy Ireland Survey is conducted annually, with a representative sample of the population aged 15 and older living in Ireland. Fieldwork to date has been conducted on behalf of the Department of Health by Ipsos B&A. For the 2024 Survey, a representative sample of 7,398 people, aged 15 and older and living in Ireland were interviewed between October 2023 and April 2024.

Smoking

• 17% of the population are current smokers, with 14% daily smokers and 4% occasional smokers
• Smoking rates remain highest among the 25 to 34 age group at 20%, however, these have declined from 32% reported in the first Healthy Ireland Survey in 2015. Men (20%) remain more likely to smoke than women (15%).
• 8% of the population currently use e-cigarettes either daily (5%) or occasionally (3%), with a further 13% reporting they have tried them in the past but no longer use them. These figures have not changed since 2023.

Note: when daily (14%) and occasional (4%) smoking figures are rounded to two decimal points, the figures sum to 17%

Alcohol Use

• 73% of individuals aged 15 or over report consuming alcohol during the past 12 months. This is an increase on the 2023 measurement (70%) but remains lower than the 75% prevalence rate reported in 2018.
• 38% of people aged 15 or over drink at least once a week. This remains lower than reported in 2018 (41%). 22% drink multiple times per week – similar to the measurements in 2023 and 2018 (21% and 23% respectively).
• Overall, 28% binge drink on a typical drinking occasion. This is an increase from 24% measured in 2023 and shows a return to the level measured in 2018.