Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Republic of the Congo instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 56.2% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
be 21.5% less likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, it is 6.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 16.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ireland, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.2% of people as of 2024.
live 17.0 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 97.6% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Republic of the Congo spends $209 as of 2023.
have 95.5% fewer doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Republic of the Congo has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 50.6% less access to essential health services
Ireland scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Republic of the Congo scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 19.9% as of 2025.
make 98.1% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $2,515 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.0 times more children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, there are 30.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 60.2 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 Republic of the Congo, 241.0 women do as of 2023.
be 7.9 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 Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 27.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 48.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ireland, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 51% of people on average (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 51.4% less likely to have internet access
In Ireland, approximately 97.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, about 47.2% do as of 2024.
be 24.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ireland, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 73% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 51.8% less on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 15.2% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 88.3% less coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 169 km.
Safety
be 3.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.6% less strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 96.1% less home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Republic of the Congo has 1.3 as of 2023.
use 94.6% less electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo uses 338 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 77.8% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Republic of the Congo, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
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. Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Republic of the Congo compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.