Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Spain 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 Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 45.1% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.
have 10.8% more doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Spain has 42.9 as of 2022.
see 43.7% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.
be 44.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.
make 70.6% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.0% 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 Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.5% 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.
have 35.0% fewer children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 58.3% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 34.6% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.4 times more coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.
Safety
be 25.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 21.5% more home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Spain has 39.2 as of 2024.
live with 5.4 times more strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.
use 17.5% less electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Spain uses 5,196 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 23.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Spain, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 25.3% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Spain emits 4.5 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. Spain
Spain: At a glance
How big is Spain compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.