Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 88.9% less likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.0 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 43.8% more likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
see 60.4% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 12.1% fewer doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
have 10.8% less access to essential health services
Ireland scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 34.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 73.8% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
have 65.0% more children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 75.0% 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.2% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.9% less on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 54.5% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 82.3% more coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 6.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 36.4% more home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 89.1% more electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 121.0 times more strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 7.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.1 times more CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.