Photo: Ian Rob · CC BY-SA 2.0For the ages of its people, Kells has more residents in bad health than expected
For every 100 people its ages would predict, Kells has 113 with a disability and 131 in bad health. Bad health and disability together give Kells a Health Grade of C, #222 of 321 Irish towns.
What stands out about health in Kells
Less healthy than the rest of Co. Meath
Kells has 131 people in bad health per 100 expected for its ages, but Co. Meath as a whole has only 90: the rest of the county is healthier for its ages than the town. Among Ireland’s 26 counties, Co. Meath has the 5th lowest figure. Health Grade ↓
More people report bad health than its ages predict
131 people in Kells report bad or very bad health for every 100 its ages would predict (2.4% of residents, as answered). That is more than in 64% of Irish towns. Its 90% range, 114 to 150, stays above 100, so chance alone is unlikely to explain it. Health Grade ↓
More people have a disability than its ages predict
Set against the ages of its people, Kells has 113 people with a disability for every 100 expected: more than its age profile suggests. Health Grade ↓
Fewer deaths in Co. Meath than in Ireland
Deaths are counted by county, not town: Co. Meath had 849 a year per 100,000 over 2020–2024 once its ages are allowed for, against 918 for the whole country. The wider area ↓
From the CSO: Census 2022 health set against Ireland’s rates at each age and sex, household income for 2022, and deaths by county.
Kells grades C for health
Census 2022: each measure per 100 expected for the town’s ages and sex at Ireland’s rates.
Per 100 expected · 2022
The grade averages the two, each ranked against every Irish town of 1,000 or more residents. Both measures sit below the middle town’s, so neither lifts Kells. Its place: #222 of 321 Irish towns.
How sure: Both figures count every resident at the 2022 Census, not a sample, but chance still moves them in a small place.
How the grade works
A ratio of 100 means as many people as Ireland’s rates at each age and sex would predict for the town’s own residents; 120 means a fifth more, 80 a fifth fewer. Bad health is answering “bad” or “very bad” to the Census question on general health; disability is a long-lasting condition or difficulty to a great or some extent. Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded: too few people to judge.
Life expectancy in the Mid-East region: 84 for women, 80.3 for men
What Ireland publishes above the town: deaths by county and life expectancy by region.
Deaths in Co. Meath, 2020–2024
Deaths a year per 100,000, age-standardised · 2020–2024
Co. Meath is among the counties with the fewest deaths for their ages: 849 a year per 100,000, against 918 for Ireland, with a range of 797 to 902.
Every county
| County | Deaths per 100,000 | Bad health | Disability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meath | 849 | 90 | 96 |
| Galway | 854 | 91 | 95 |
| Laois | 862 | 112 | 106 |
| Kildare | 872 | 94 | 100 |
| Roscommon | 892 | 99 | 99 |
| Kilkenny | 892 | 88 | 98 |
| Wicklow | 901 | 94 | 106 |
| Dublin | 907 | 109 | 99 |
| Mayo | 907 | 93 | 94 |
| Ireland | 918 | 101 | 100 |
| Monaghan | 919 | 85 | 87 |
| Clare | 928 | 96 | 96 |
| Westmeath | 929 | 97 | 100 |
| Louth | 931 | 117 | 104 |
| Kerry | 931 | 85 | 95 |
| Donegal | 933 | 107 | 102 |
| Waterford | 935 | 99 | 104 |
| Cork | 950 | 89 | 102 |
| Tipperary | 952 | 103 | 103 |
| Cavan | 954 | 96 | 93 |
| Sligo | 962 | 94 | 101 |
| Wexford | 962 | 109 | 109 |
| Carlow | 964 | 118 | 108 |
| Longford | 972 | 126 | 98 |
| Limerick | 976 | 113 | 103 |
| Offaly | 984 | 117 | 104 |
| Leitrim | 1,012 | 96 | 100 |
Life expectancy by region, 2016
| Region | Life expectancy, women | Life expectancy, men |
|---|---|---|
| West | 84.5 | 79.7 |
| Mid-East | 84 | 80.3 |
| Border | 83.5 | 79.5 |
| Dublin | 83.4 | 80.1 |
| Midland | 83.2 | 80 |
| South-West | 83.2 | 79.1 |
| South-East | 83.1 | 79.3 |
| Mid-West | 82.5 | 79 |
Ireland doesn’t publish life expectancy, deaths, hospital waiting times or GP numbers for towns: life expectancy comes by region and only to 2016, and the HSE reports waits by hospital, not by where patients live. So Kells is graded on what the Census counts for every town: bad health and disability for its ages.
Deaths: CSO MORT04, 2020–2024, by county, age-standardised. Life expectancy: CSO VSA31, 2016, by NUTS 3 region. Not graded.
About what Kells’ income would suggest
Each dot is one of 321 Irish towns of 2,500 or more; the line is the trend.
Richer towns report less bad health for their ages: the line follows 321 Irish towns (correlation −0.74). It puts a town with Kells’s household income, €52,111, at about 132 per 100 expected; Kells is at 131. Income doesn’t change the grade.
Household income: CSO, 2022. Bad health: Census 2022. The ratios, the estimate for towns without their own income figure and the line are TownRatings calculations.
27% of people in HSE Dublin and North East hold a medical card
Free care by health region, and how many homes have a car to reach it.
In HSE Dublin and North East, 27% of people held a medical card in 2022 and 10% a GP visit card; across the six health regions the medical-card share runs from 27% to 34%.
Medical and GP visit cards: HSE via CSO HHR03, 2022, by health region. Cars: CSO Census 2022.
87% of residents say their health is good or very good
Census 2022, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Adjusted for age, 131 report bad health for every 100 expected, more than the national rate. 5.4% give regular unpaid care (5.4% in the typical Irish town), and 18% smoke (16%).
The town beside its county’s towns and all Irish towns
| Share of residents | Kells | Towns in Co. Meath | Irish towns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 91% | 89% |
| Fair health | 11% | 7.9% | 9.5% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.4% | 1.6% | 2% |
| Disability, to any extent | 24% | 20% | 22% |
| Unable to work: illness or disability (15+) | 5.8% | 3.9% | 4.7% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.4% | 4.8% | 5.3% |
| Smokers | 18% | 14% | 16% |
Kells comes 31st of 40 Irish towns its size for health
The 40 graded towns nearest its population, ordered by Health Grade. Bad health per 100 expected for each town’s ages.
| # | Town | People | Bad health | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Castleknock Dublin | 6,355 | 45 | A+ |
| 2 | Dunboyne Meath | 7,155 | 57 | A+ |
| 3 | Oranmore Galway | 5,819 | 68 | A |
| … | ||||
| 29 | Clongriffin Dublin | 7,438 | 130 | C+ |
| 30 | Newcastle West Limerick | 7,209 | 122 | C |
| 31 | Kells Meath | 6,608 | 131 | C |
| 32 | Ballinasloe Galway | 6,597 | 135 | C |
| 33 | Caherdavin Limerick | 7,364 | 121 | C |
| … | ||||
| 40 | South Gate Cork | 7,185 | 139 | D |
These towns run from 5,766 to 7,526 people, and their bad health from 45 to 208 per 100 expected; Kells has 131.
Health in the places around Kells
Bad health and disability per 100 expected for each place’s ages. Tap a town for its health page.
Virginia, 18.2 km away, reports less bad health for its ages: 94 for every 100 expected, against 131 in Kells.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Adjusted for age. Each figure is people per 100 expected: the town’s own ages and sex at Ireland’s rates give the expected count, so an older town isn’t marked down for its age.
- Small areas, summed to the town. The Census counts are summed from the small areas (about 80 to 120 homes each) that make up the town.
- How sure. Bad health is rare (under 2% of people), so in a small town a few people move the figure; where its 90% range is wider than 50 points the grade is marked less sure. Disability counts are large enough never to be.
- Income and health. The income chart sets each town’s 2022 median gross household income against its bad-health ratio. Where no figure is published for a town, ours is built from the electoral divisions it covers, so it is approximate. The line is a trend, not a cause, and it isn’t part of the grade.
- Deaths by county. Ireland counts deaths by county, not town. The county rate is age-standardised, so an older county isn’t marked up for its age, and it covers five years, so one hard winter doesn’t swing it.
- Town and county. A county’s figure takes in its towns and the countryside around them. Taken together, Irish towns of 2,500 or more have 115 people in bad health per 100 expected, so a town can sit well above the county it belongs to.
- What Ireland doesn’t publish by town. Life expectancy (by region, to 2016), deaths, hospital waits and GP numbers aren’t published for towns, so they aren’t graded here.
- Different years. The Census ratios, medical cards and income are from 2022, deaths by county from 2020–2024, life expectancy from 2016.
Questions about health in Kells
How healthy is Kells?
At the 2022 Census, 131 people in Kells reported bad or very bad health and 113 had a disability for every 100 expected from its ages at Ireland’s rates; 87% said their health was good or very good. Kells grades C for health (#222 of 321 Irish towns).
How is Kells’ Health Grade worked out?
From two Census 2022 measures, each set against the town’s ages and sex at Ireland’s rates: bad or very bad health, and disability. Each is ranked against every Irish town of 1,000 or more residents and the grade averages the two; ranks start at 2,500 residents, and a county rank needs five graded towns.
What is the life expectancy in Kells?
Ireland publishes life expectancy for eight regions, not for towns, and the latest is for 2016: in the Mid-East region it was 80.3 for men and 84 for women.
How many people die each year in Co. Meath?
Ireland publishes deaths by county rather than by town. Over 2020–2024, 849 people a year died per 100,000 in Co. Meath once its ages are allowed for; for Ireland the figure is 918.
Is Kells healthier than its income would suggest?
About as healthy. Irish towns with a median household income of €52,111 typically have about 132 people in bad health per 100 expected, and Kells has 131.
How many people near Kells have a medical card?
Cards are counted by health region only: 27% of people in HSE Dublin and North East have a medical card, which covers GP visits and public hospital care, and 10% have a GP visit card, which covers GP visits alone.
Where is the nearest hospital or GP to Kells?
This page doesn’t list hospitals or GP practices yet: the HSE publishes its services by hospital and health area, not by town, so the nearest ones aren’t matched to Kells here. The HSE’s service finder lists them; in an emergency call 112 or 999.
Source: CSO, Census of Population 2022 (CC BY 4.0). Age-standardised ratios are TownRatings calculations against Ireland’s rates by age and sex (F4014, F4066). Life expectancy: CSO VSA31, 2016, by region. Medical cards: HSE via CSO HHR03, 2022, by health region.
Sources: CSO Census of Population 2022 (Small Area Population Statistics; F4014, F4066) · bad health and disability per 100 expected: TownRatings calculations, indirectly standardized by age and sex · CSO VSA31 (life expectancy, 2016) · HSE via CSO HHR03 (medical cards, 2022) · CSO MORT04 (deaths by county, age-standardised, 2020–2024) · CSO Geographical Profiles of Income in Ireland 2022 (GPIIA01, GPIIA02) · Health Grade: TownRatings, the live run. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).