Respiratory disease accounts for almost one in five deaths in Ireland, new report finds
The Irish Thoracic Society has published Respiratory Health of the Nation 2026, the first full update since 2018 on how many people in Ireland are affected by respiratory disease, what it costs the health service, and what needs to change.
- 6,832deaths from respiratory disease in 2024, 19.4% of all deaths in Ireland
- 82,003inpatient discharges for respiratory disease in 2025, 11.5% of the total
- 29,169adults waiting for a first respiratory outpatient appointment in July 2026, up 54% since January 2022
- €15.1bnestimated cost of respiratory disease to Irish society in 2023
Sources: Respiratory Health of the Nation 2026. The cost estimate is from the International Respiratory Coalition, based on the value of healthy life years lost.
A growing burden on patients and hospitals
Respiratory disease is among the most common causes of illness, hospital admission and death in Ireland. In 2025 it accounted for a larger share of inpatient admissions and bed days than cardiovascular disease, and just four respiratory diagnoses (COPD, unspecified acute lower respiratory infection, pneumonia and influenza) accounted for almost 10% of all emergency inpatient admissions.
Access to specialist care is getting harder. The number of adults waiting for a first respiratory outpatient appointment has risen by more than half since 2022, and the report estimates that the respiratory consultant workforce would need to grow by a quarter to meet current need.
Real progress, where services are resourced
The report also records what is working. Where services have been resourced to deliver the full End to End COPD Model of Care, COPD hospitalisations fell by 12% between 2018 and 2024. Forty-three pulmonary rehabilitation teams are operational, and a virtual ward able to care for people with COPD, bronchiectasis and asthma at home now operates in each of the six health regions. The pilot infant RSV immunisation programme achieved 83% uptake in 2024/2025.
“Our success will not be measured by the eloquence of the plans we write, but by what changes in people’s lives.”
A call for a National Respiratory Strategy
In 2018 the Society called for a Taskforce to deliver an over-arching Respiratory Strategy for the nation, which did not happen. With this report, the Irish Thoracic Society and its partners across the respiratory community call on the Government to commit to developing and implementing a National Respiratory Strategy, consistent with the World Health Assembly’s 2025 resolution on an integrated approach to lung health.
What the report covers
The report has fourteen chapters, including:
- asthma, bronchiectasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- lung cancer and mesothelioma, cystic fibrosis and interstitial lung disease
- obstructive sleep apnoea, pulmonary vascular disease, respiratory infections and tuberculosis
- respiratory disease in children and in older people, and prevention
Read the full report
Respiratory Health of the Nation 2026 is free to download.
Media enquiries: info@irishthoracicsociety.com