Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ireland instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
see 17.1% more spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ireland spends $8,772 as of 2024.
be 53.4% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ireland, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 33.7% more likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 21.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ireland, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
make 2.2 times more money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.
be 13.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Ireland, however, that number is 14.0% as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 53.8% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Ireland spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 36.6% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ireland, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 21.8 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.
Safety
be 39.8% less likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ireland, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 21.3% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Belgium, 62% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Ireland, that number is 75% as of 2019.
be 39.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ireland, they kill 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 84.8% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ireland withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 27.0% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ireland has 32.3 as of 2024.
use 11.3% less electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Ireland uses 6,298 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 13.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ireland, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 17.4% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Ireland
Ireland: At a glance
How big is Ireland compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.