Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Norway instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 27.6% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Norway, that number is 20.2% of people as of 2024.
have 28.4% more doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Norway has 49.8 as of 2023.
be 54.3% more likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Norway, it is 13.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Norway, however, that number is 12.2% as of 2021.
make 28.1% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Norway, the GDP per capita is $94,594 as of 2025.
Life
be 75.0% less 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 Norway, 1.0 women do as of 2023.
be 41.2% 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 Norway, on the other hand, 2.0 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 87.2% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Norway spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 37.7% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Norway, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 17.4 times more coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Norway, that number is 25,148 km.
Safety
be 46.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Norway, they kill 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 10.8% more likely to be murdered
Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Norway, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 39.8% more home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Norway has 45.2 as of 2024.
live with 74.7% less strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Norway withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 3.8 times more electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Norway uses 23,673 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 38.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Norway, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 18.9% more CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Norway emits 7.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. Norway
Norway: At a glance
How big is Norway compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.