Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Ireland instead of Greenland, you would:

Health

live 12.7 years longer

In Greenland, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 2.2 times more money

Greenland has a GDP per capita of $58,499 as of 2023, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.

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Life

be 61.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Greenland, approximately 8.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Ireland, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.

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have 16.7% fewer children

In Greenland, there are approximately 12.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ireland, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 39.8% more likely to have internet access

In Greenland, approximately 69.5% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Ireland, about 97.2% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 71.6% less on education

Greenland spends 10.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Ireland spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

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Geography

see 96.7% less coastline

Greenland has a total of 44,087 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.

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Environment

emit 42.2% less CO2

Greenland emits 10.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2019–2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Greenland vs. Ireland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Ireland is 9.4% cheaper than Greenland overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Greenland is about 31 times bigger than Ireland.
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Moving from Greenland to Ireland · UN DESA 2015
1 people born in Greenland live in Ireland.
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Ireland: At a glance

Ireland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 68,883 sq km. Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600 and 150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. Norman invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions. The Irish famine of the mid-19th century saw the population of the island drop by one third through starvation and emigration. For more than a century after that the population of the island continued to fall only to begin growing again in the 1960s. Over the last 50 years, Ireland's high birthrate has made it demographically one of the youngest populations in the EU. The modern Irish state traces its origins to the failed 1916 Easter Monday Uprising which touched off several years of guerrilla warfare resulting in independence from the UK in 1921 for 26 southern counties; six northern counties remained part of the UK. Unresolved issues in Northern Ireland erupted into years of violence known as the "Troubles" that began in the 1960s. The Government of Ireland was part of a process along with the UK and US Governments that helped broker what is known as The Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland in 1998. This initiated a new phase of cooperation between Irish and British governments. Ireland was neutral in World War II and continues its policy of military neutrality. Ireland joined the European Community in 1973 and the Eurozone currency union in 1999. The economic boom years of the Celtic Tiger (1995-2007) saw rapid economic growth, which came to an abrupt end in 2008 with the meltdown of the Irish banking system. Today the economy is recovering, fueled by large and growing foreign direct investment, especially from US multi-nationals.
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How big is Ireland compared to Greenland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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