Ireland cancer incidence second highest in EU

Estimated cancer incidence in Ireland is the second highest among EU countries but mortality rates have “improved significantly in the last decade”, a report has found.

Country Cancer Profile: Ireland 2025, published by the OECD and European Commission in February 2025, estimates that 733 new cancer cases per 100,000 men were expected in Ireland in 2022 compared with an EU average of 684 per 100,000. It also estimates that 561 new cancer cases per 100,000 women were expected in Ireland in 2022 compared with an EU average of 488 per 100,000.

In 2021, cancer caused 248 deaths per 100,000 population; 17 per cent lower than 2011 when it stood at 299 per 100,000. Between 2011 and 2021, avoidable mortality rates decreased by 9 per cent among women in Ireland while they rose by 4 per cent across the EU. Rates decreased by 31 per cent among men in Ireland compared with a 27 per cent decrease in the EU.

Risk factors and prevention policies

In 2022, the proportion of daily smokers in Ireland stood at 14 per cent, below the EU average of 18 per cent. According to the Irish Health Survey 2024 by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), 10.2 per cent of those aged 18 years and over smoked tobacco products daily.

Between 2013 and 2023, annual alcohol consumption per capita among those aged 15 and over decreased by 7 per cent to 9.9 litres, slightly below the EU average of 10 litres. The Irish Health Survey 2024 finds that 40.6 per cent of people aged 18 and over drank at least once weekly.

The OECD finds that more than half of the State’s adult population is overweight or obese. However, the percentage of adults classified as overweight or obese declined from 57 per cent in 2017 to 53 per cent in 2022. This is a larger decrease than the EU average, which declined from 52 per cent to 51 per cent. However, the Irish Health Survey 2024 finds that 58.9 per cent of people aged 18 and over were overweight or obese.

The report asserts that both adults and adolescents in Ireland “exhibit healthier dietary habits and engage in more physical activity than the EU average”. It also finds that exposure to air pollution in Ireland is lower than the EU average.

Regarding occupational exposure, 29 per cent of people aged 15 and over reported exposure to chemical products and substances in 2021, placing Ireland in the bottom third among EU+2 countries; the 27 member states plus Iceland and Norway.

Early detection

The National Screening Service’s five-year strategic plan for 2023 to 2025, Choose Screening, aims to achieve participation rates of 70 per cent for breast cancer screening, 80 per cent for cervical cancer screening, and 50 per cent for colorectal cancer screening among the eligible population.

Between 2020 and 2022, the participation rate in breast cancer screening decreased from 78 per cent to 70 per cent, partly due to the pandemic. Despite this, it remains higher than the EU average of 56 per cent.

Participation in cervical cancer screening rose from 61 per cent in 2011 to 80 per cent in 2017. Despite a fall to 73 per cent in 2022, it remains above the EU average of 55 per cent. Participation in colorectal cancer screening in Ireland stood at 34 per cent in 2022.

Cancer care performance

Approximately 80 per cent of cancer care patients are treated in designated cancer centres and other public hospitals with the remaining 20 per cent provided in private hospitals.

The report asserts that there are experience shortages in specific fields of the healthcare workforce. While the number of physicians and nurses in Ireland is higher than the EU averages, there is a shortage of GPs, radiologists, and radiation therapists among others.

The OECD finds that the five-year net survival rate in Ireland rose from 57 per cent amongst those diagnosed between 2004 and 2008 to 65 per cent for those diagnosed between 2014 and 2018.
Survival rates also differ based on socioeconomic status. On average, people in the most deprived areas faced a 43 per cent higher risk of mortality within five years following a cancer diagnosis compared with those in the least deprived regions.

The report finds that expenditure on cancer medications “has been experiencing a notable rise”. Spending on cancer medications under the High Tech Drug Arrangement Scheme grew by 15 per cent annually between 2012 and 2020. Spending on hospital oncology medicine tripled from 2018 to 2022, reaching €151 million.

Between 2023 and 2050, the report projects that total health expenditure in Ireland is expected to reach €382 per person per year, above the EU average of €242. Additionally, per capita health expenditure on cancer care in Ireland is expected to grow by 80 per cent during this period, compared with 59 per cent across the EU. A loss of 159 full-time equivalent workers per 100,000 is also expected.

Highlighting paediatric cancer, the OECD finds that the State had an estimated incidence rate of 15.5 per 100,000 children aged 0-14, higher than the EU average of 13.7. However, the State had a lower mortality rate with a three-year average mortality rate in 2021 at 1.6 per 100,000 children compared to 2.1 across the EU.

During a Dáil debate on cancer services in November 2025, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD insisted that progress has been made under the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026.

“Very significant progress has been made in improving cancer services and there are now over 220,000 living with or beyond cancer, 50 per cent more than a decade ago,” said Minister MacNeill.

“We are seeing tremendous advances in cancer care and I am committed to ensuring that patients can take advantage of these developments.”