Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ireland instead of Estonia, you would:
Health
live 3.7 years longer
In Estonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (75 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Estonia spends $3,741 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ireland spends $8,772 as of 2024.
have 11.7% more doctors per person
Estonia has 34.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ireland has 38.8 as of 2023.
be 42.8% less likely to die by suicide
Estonia has a suicide rate of 14.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ireland, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 37.2% more likely to be obese
In Estonia, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 44.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Estonia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ireland, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
be 37.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Estonia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Ireland, however, that number is 14.0% as of 2021.
make 3.8 times more money
Estonia has a GDP per capita of $34,418 as of 2025, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Estonia, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ireland, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
have 40.8% more children
In Estonia, there are approximately 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ireland, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Estonia, approximately 1.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Ireland, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 44.3% less on education
Estonia spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Ireland spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 12.6% less on healthcare
Estonia spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 61.8% less coastline
Estonia has a total of 3,794 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.
Safety
be 57.8% less likely to be murdered
Estonia has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Ireland, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 36.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Estonia, road accidents kill 4.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ireland, they kill 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 38.3% less strain on fresh water
Estonia withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ireland withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 18.9% more electricity
Estonia uses 5,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Ireland uses 6,298 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 22.2% less CO2
Estonia emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Estonia vs. Ireland
Ireland: At a glance
How big is Ireland compared to Estonia? See an in-depth size comparison.