PDF P.6 Risk factors - Behavioural and environmental risk factors are major drivers of mortality in Ireland According to estimates from IHME, about 8 000 deaths in Ireland in 2021 can be attributed to behavioural risk factors. These behavioural and environmental risk factors accounted for 26 % of all deaths in Ireland in 2021, slightly lower than the EU average share of 29 %. The main contributors were tobacco smoking (12 %), dietary risks (9 %), and alcohol consumption (3 %). Another 600 deaths can be attributed to air pollution in the form of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone exposure alone.

Tobacco smoking rates have declined to a low level among both adults and adolescents The prevalence of daily tobacco smokers in Ireland has declined by a quarter over the past decade, reflecting the government’s resolve to de- normalise tobacco use within Irish society with the introduction of its Tobacco Free Strategy 2013- 25. In 2024, 14 % of the Irish population reported smoking daily, a slight decline from 16 % in 2021 and substantially below the latest available EU average of 19 % (2022 data). Among adolescents, tobacco smoking is comparatively low and has also been declining over time: in 2022, the share of 15- year- olds who reported smoking over the past month was 7 %, far below the EU average of 17 %. However, the popularity of e- cigarettes among teenagers has surged, with 18 % of 15- year- olds reporting its use over the last 30 days in 2022. This is of concern given e- cigarettes are a possible gateway to tobacco smoking. Public health policy to discourage smoking includes a complete ban on smoking in public places since 2004, a ban on advertising of tobacco products, plain packaging since 2018, and a taxation rate of 76.1 % on tobacco cigarette retail prices. Following the adoption of the 2025 Budget, an excise duty of EUR 0.50 per millilitre was introduced in mid- 2025 on all e- liquids, regardless of nicotine content (Irish Tax and Customs, 2025).

P.7 Alcohol consumption among adults is now on par with the EU average Adult alcohol consumption in Ireland has gradually declined over the past decade, falling from 10.6 litres per person in 2013 to 10.3 litres in 2022, approaching the EU average of 9.8. This downward trend extends to adolescent drinking patterns, with the proportion of 15- year- olds reporting frequent intoxication dropping from 16 % in 2014 to 13 % in 2022 – considerably below the EU average of 23 %. These improvements reflect the impact of Ireland’s comprehensive Public Health (Alcohol) Act, introduced in 2018 with the explicit goal of reducing early drinking initiation. The legislation has proven instrumental in reshaping national alcohol policy through minimum unit pricing, structural separation of alcohol products in retail outlets to limit children’s access, and advertising bans near schools, crèches and playgrounds. One of the Act’s most ambitious provisions – mandatory health labelling requiring alcohol products to display calorie content, alcohol grams, and warnings about pregnancy risks, liver disease and cancer - has been delayed for implementation in July 2025 from 2026 to 2028 (Government of Ireland, 2023).