Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ireland instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
see 26.6% more spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ireland spends $8,772 as of 2024.
be 28.2% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ireland, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 25.6% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2024.
have 11.4% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Ireland has 38.8 as of 2023.
Economy
make 33.8% more money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.
be 27.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ireland, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 33.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ireland, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 61.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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.
have 10.7% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ireland, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 60.3% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Ireland spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 23.7% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 70.9% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.
Safety
be 49.6% less likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Ireland, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 17.5% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Iceland, 91% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Ireland, that number is 75% as of 2019.
be 16.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ireland, they kill 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.9% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ireland has 32.3 as of 2024.
live with 20.6 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ireland withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 87.1% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Ireland uses 6,298 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 29.1% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 62.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ireland, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Ireland
Ireland: At a glance
How big is Ireland compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.