Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Switzerland instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
live 1.4 years longer
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 59.5% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 11.3% of people as of 2024.
see 20.9% more spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Switzerland spends $10,602 as of 2023.
have 15.5% more doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Switzerland has 44.8 as of 2022.
be 64.0% more likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Switzerland, it is 14.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Switzerland, however, that number is 15.8% as of 2021.
make 12.8% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Switzerland, the GDP per capita is $114,769 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.0% 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 Switzerland, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
have 13.0% fewer children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Switzerland, there are 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 67.6% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Switzerland spends 4.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 70.7% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 11.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 14.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Switzerland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 45.6% more home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Switzerland has 47.0 as of 2024.
live with 19.3% less strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Switzerland withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 13.0% more electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Switzerland uses 7,117 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 Switzerland, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 37.9% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. Switzerland
Switzerland: At a glance
How big is Switzerland compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.