Irish people are living longer lives but consuming more alcohol, a new report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has revealed.

The research shows that the average Irish person now lives to the age of 80, whereas in 1960, the average life expectancy was 70 years of age.

Life expectancy rose by 11 years across the 34 OECD countries. Japanese people live the longest with an average of 83 years.

The 50th anniversary report shows that while alcohol consumption has dropped in the majority of OECD countries, it has risen in Ireland and Britain.
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Over the past two decades alone, it has increased by 18 percent in Ireland, twice the rate of our British counterparts.

"The worrying trend in [Ireland and Britain] and other countries is the consumption patterns amongst younger people with the practice of ‘binge drinking’ increasing in recent years," the report states.

In France, alcohol consumption has dropped by 37 percent and Spain has witnessed a 46 percent decline.

The data shows that almost 30 percent of the Irish population over the age of 15 smoke daily, compared to the OECD average of 22.1 percent. However, this data on smoking rates represents a decrease of 12 percent in Ireland.