Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 53.1% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
be 42.7% less likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.8 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 92.3% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 85.7% fewer doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 27.7% less access to essential health services
Ireland scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
Economy
be 30.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
be 11.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bhutan, however, that number is 12.4% as of 2022.
make 96.6% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
have 25.3% more children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 11.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ireland, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.5% less on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.0 times more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.8 times more likely to be murdered
Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 4.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 82.5% less strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 91.0% less home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 66.7% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.