Background: Few national studies have examined the health (both physical and mental) of individuals who have been bereaved by suicide and they often involve self-selected samples. This study will use data from a national household survey to compare patterns of physical and mental health among people who have been bereaved by suicide to those who have not reported a bereavement by suicide. The study will also explore differences in healthcare utilisation between the two groups. Methods: Secondary analysis of three waves of the Healthy Ireland Survey (2021, 2022, 2023), a national household survey of the Irish population aged 15 years and over, was conducted. Suicide bereavement was determined by the binary question 'Do you know someone who died by suicide?'. Chi-squared tests and Poisson regression models were estimated. Results: Of 6,301 respondents, 68.9% (4,341) reported knowing someone who died by suicide, with 786 people (12.5%) reporting that the deceased person was someone ‘close’ or ‘very close’ to them. Of the 4,341, the majority (39.0%) reported that the person who died was an acquaintance or neighbour, followed by a friend / work colleague (34.4%), and extended family (22.7%). 165 (3.9%) identified the person as an immediate family member. Respondents who experienced a suicide death were more likely to report general health problems (33.0% vs 29.1%, respectively) and to report a diagnosed health condition (36.7% vs 33.4%). The bereaved group were also more likely to have attempted to take their own life (5.8% vs 2.5%) and experienced suicidal ideation (32.5% vs 23.8%). Those who reported a suicide death were more likely to have visited a general practitioner (75.4% vs 71.0%) and to have attended mental health treatment (30.3% vs 22.0%) in the last 12 months. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that exposure to suicide is associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes. Positively, those exposed to suicide had accessed more healthcare support. However, the increased risk of negative physical and mental health outcomes underlines the need for proactive facilitation of support following suicide bereavement. The findings can be used to raise awareness among general and specialist healthcare practitioners of the range of potential adverse health difficulties associated with suicide bereavement.