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

Health

be 27.1% less likely to be obese

In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 3.7 years less

In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 79 years (75 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 57.4% less spent on your healthcare

Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Estonia spends $3,741 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 10.5% fewer doctors per person

Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Estonia has 34.7 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 74.7% more likely to die by suicide

Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Estonia, it is 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 79.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Estonia, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 60.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Estonia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

make 73.8% less money

Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Estonia, the GDP per capita is $34,418 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 55.9% less 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 Estonia, on the other hand, 1.5 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 25.0% 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 Estonia, 5.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 29.0% fewer children

In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Estonia, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 79.7% more on education

Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Estonia spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 14.5% more on healthcare

Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 2.6 times more coastline

Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Estonia, that number is 3,794 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 2.4 times more likely to be murdered

Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Estonia, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 57.1% more likely to die in a road accident

In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Estonia, they kill 4.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 62.1% more strain on fresh water

Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Estonia withdraws 13% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 15.9% less electricity

Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Estonia uses 5,298 kWh as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 28.5% more CO2

Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Estonia emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Estonia: At a glance

Estonia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 42,388 sq km. After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US - it regained its freedom in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with the West. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004, formally joined the OECD in late 2010, and adopted the euro as its official currency on 1 January 2011.
Read more

How big is Estonia compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Estonia or Ireland. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.