One question I've been asked repeatedly is whether the Irish have a sufficient medical infrastructure. For that, I went to the World Health Organization. Their mission is to track medical care throughout the world in a variety of areas, from HIV/AIDS to world hunger to diseases and to health issues caused by lifestyle. They are also working to improve health conditions around the world.
In the first-ever study of health worldwide that ranks the countries by their level of health care, Ireland ranks # 19. The United States ranks # 37. Each of the links below goes to a Wikipedia page detailing that country's health care. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, which ranks # 18.
In the Per Capita Expenditure, this ranks how much health care costs on a per-person basis. The United States is Number 1, meaning we spend more money on health care per person than anyone else in the world. Ireland ranks 25 and the United Kingdom ranks 26.
In 2010, Ireland spent an average of 2,862 Euro per person, compared to $8,608 in the United States. The biggest difference is that Ireland's public health system paid for approximately 79% of health care while the United States spent roughly 65% from public programs that include Medicare and Medicaid.
The life expectancy in the United States and Ireland are tied at 78 years.
Ranking
|
Country
|
Per
Capita Expenditure
|
1
|
4
|
|
2
|
11
|
|
3
|
21
|
|
4
|
23
|
|
5
|
37
|
|
6
|
38
|
|
7
|
29
|
|
8
|
62
|
|
9
|
6
|
|
10
|
13
|
|
11
|
16
|
|
12
|
27
|
|
13
|
12
|
|
14
|
30
|
|
15
|
14
|
|
16
|
5
|
|
17
|
9
|
|
18
|
26
|
|
19
|
25
|
|
20
|
2
|
|
21
|
15
|
|
22
|
49
|
|
23
|
7
|
|
24
|
39
|
|
25
|
3
|
|
26
|
63
|
|
27
|
35
|
|
28
|
19
|
|
29
|
99
|
|
30
|
10
|
|
31
|
18
|
|
32
|
17
|
|
33
|
44
|
|
34
|
8
|
|
35
|
70
|
|
36
|
50
|
|
37
|
1
|
|
38
|
29
|
|
39
|
118
|
|
40
|
32
|
|
41
|
20
|
|
42
|
48
|
|
43
|
56
|
|
44
|
27
|
|
45
|
41
|
|
46
|
36
|
|
47
|
64
|
|
48
|
40
|
|
49
|
93
|
|
50
|
58
|
|
51
|
92
|
|
52
|
79
|
|
53
|
89
|
|
54
|
68
|
|
55
|
149
|
|
56
|
52
|
|
57
|
91
|
|
58
|
31
|
|
59
|
143
|
|
60
|
124
|
|
61
|
55
|
|
62
|
45
|
|
63
|
115
|
|
64
|
112
|
|
65
|
33
|
|
66
|
59
|
|
67
|
65
|
|
68
|
86
|
|
69
|
88
|
|
70
|
82
|
|
71
|
104
|
|
72
|
74
|
|
73
|
71
|
|
74
|
15
|
|
75
|
90
|
|
76
|
138
|
|
77
|
60
|
|
78
|
130
|
|
79
|
111
|
|
80
|
134
|
|
81
|
114
|
|
82
|
47
|
|
83
|
98
|
|
84
|
69
|
|
85
|
67
|
|
86
|
43
|
|
87
|
84
|
|
88
|
144
|
|
89
|
106
|
|
90
|
105
|
|
91
|
46
|
|
92
|
154
|
|
93
|
94
|
|
94
|
22
|
|
95
|
53
|
|
96
|
87
|
|
97
|
171
|
|
98
|
42
|
|
99
|
107
|
|
100
|
51
|
|
101
|
||
102
|
||
103
|
||
104
|
||
105
|
||
106
|
||
107
|
||
108
|
||
109
|
||
110
|
||
111
|
||
112
|
||
113
|
||
114
|
||
115
|
||
116
|
||
117
|
||
118
|
||
119
|
||
120
|
||
121
|
||
122
|
||
123
|
||
124
|
||
125
|
||
126
|
||
127
|
||
128
|
||
129
|
||
130
|
||
131
|
||
132
|
||
133
|
||
134
|
||
135
|
||
136
|
||
137
|
||
138
|
||
139
|
||
140
|
||
141
|
||
142
|
||
143
|
||
144
|
||
145
|
||
146
|
||
147
|
||
148
|
||
149
|
||
150
|
||
151
|
||
152
|
||
153
|
||
154
|
||
155
|
||
156
|
||
157
|
||
158
|
||
159
|
||
160
|
||
161
|
||
162
|
||
163
|
||
164
|
||
165
|
||
166
|
||
167
|
||
168
|
||
169
|
||
170
|
||
171
|
||
172
|
||
173
|
||
174
|
||
175
|
||
176
|
||
177
|
||
178
|
||
179
|
||
180
|
||
181
|
||
182
|
||
183
|
||
184
|
||
185
|
||
186
|
||
187
|
||
188
|
||
189
|
||
190
|