There were over 207,000 lost bed days in HSE hospitals last year, due to delayed discharges.
Over 7,100 patients were medically fit to leave but remained in hospital due to a lack of step-down care.
New data released under the Freedom of Information Act, 207,096 acute bed days were lost as a result.
Almost 25,000 bed days were lost in St James's Hospital in Dublin last year.
Outside the capital city, the highest was in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, at just under 16,000.
Stephen McMahon from the Irish Patients Association says the problem has a huge impact on the health system.
"These are patients who've been clinically discharged, but they're waiting to get into the appropriate place for them.
"It could be a nursing home or other step-down facilities, or maybe requiring families to make arrangements to be able to look after their loved one at home.
"So the net effect of that is that the bed isn't available for somebody to move into."
