Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in United Kingdom instead of Ireland, you would:

Economy

be 36.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Ireland, 5.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In United Kingdom, that number is 3.2% as of 2019.

make 53.6% less money

Ireland has a GDP per capita of $89,700 as of 2020, while in United Kingdom, the GDP per capita is $41,600 as of 2020.

be 42.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Ireland, 13.1% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In United Kingdom, however, that number is 18.6% as of 2017.

Life

be 40.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Ireland, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In United Kingdom, 7.0 women do as of 2017.

be 10.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Ireland, approximately 3.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In United Kingdom, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2022.

have 12.4% fewer children

In Ireland, there are approximately 12.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In United Kingdom, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 52.9% more on education

Ireland spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. United Kingdom spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

spend 52.2% more on healthcare

Ireland spends 6.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In United Kingdom, that number is 10.2% of GDP as of 2019.

Geography

see 8.6 times more coastline

Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In United Kingdom, that number is 12,429 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

United Kingdom: At a glance

United Kingdom (sometimes abbreviated UK) is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 241,930 sq km. The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith in the 19th century, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two world wars and the Irish Republic's withdrawal from the union. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council and a founding member of NATO and the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy. The UK is also an active member of the EU, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999. The latter was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace process, but devolution was fully completed in March 2010.
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How big is United Kingdom compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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