Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Italy instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
live 0.9 years longer
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 49.8% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.
be 18.2% less likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 43.1% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Italy spends $4,993 as of 2024.
Economy
be 38.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.
be 43.6% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.
make 67.1% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.
Life
be 32.4% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
be 50.0% 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 Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
have 37.0% fewer children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.3% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Italy spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 23.2% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 5.2 times more coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.
Safety
be 12.3% less likely to be murdered
Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 19.2% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Ireland, 75% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Italy, that number is 61% as of 2016.
be 78.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Italy, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 3.7 times more strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Italy withdraws 30% as of 2022.
use 18.4% less electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Italy uses 5,137 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 15.9% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Italy emits 5.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 15.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Italy, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2016–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. Italy
Italy: At a glance
How big is Italy compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.