If you lived in Ireland instead of Italy, you would:

Health

see 75.7% more spent on your healthcare

Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ireland spends $8,772 as of 2024.

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live 0.9 years less

In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 99.3% more likely to be obese

In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2024.

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be 22.3% more likely to die by suicide

Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ireland, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 27.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ireland, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.

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be 30.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Italy, 20.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Ireland, however, that number is 14.0% as of 2021.

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make 3.0 times more money

Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.

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Life

be 33.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Italy, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ireland, 4.0 women do as of 2023.

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have 58.7% more children

In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ireland, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 47.8% more likely to die during infancy

In Italy, approximately 2.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Ireland, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 28.7% less on education

Italy spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Ireland spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

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spend 18.8% less on healthcare

Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 80.9% less coastline

Italy has a total of 7,600 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.

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Safety

be 23.8% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night

In Italy, 61% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2016. In Ireland, that number is 75% as of 2019.

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be 44.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ireland, they kill 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 14.0% more likely to be murdered

Italy has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Ireland, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

live with 73.0% less strain on fresh water

Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ireland withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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use 22.6% more electricity

Italy uses 5,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Ireland uses 6,298 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 13.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Italy, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ireland, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.

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emit 18.9% more CO2

Italy emits 5.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2016–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Ireland: At a glance

Ireland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 68,883 sq km. Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600 and 150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. Norman invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions. The Irish famine of the mid-19th century saw the population of the island drop by one third through starvation and emigration. For more than a century after that the population of the island continued to fall only to begin growing again in the 1960s. Over the last 50 years, Ireland's high birthrate has made it demographically one of the youngest populations in the EU. The modern Irish state traces its origins to the failed 1916 Easter Monday Uprising which touched off several years of guerrilla warfare resulting in independence from the UK in 1921 for 26 southern counties; six northern counties remained part of the UK. Unresolved issues in Northern Ireland erupted into years of violence known as the "Troubles" that began in the 1960s. The Government of Ireland was part of a process along with the UK and US Governments that helped broker what is known as The Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland in 1998. This initiated a new phase of cooperation between Irish and British governments. Ireland was neutral in World War II and continues its policy of military neutrality. Ireland joined the European Community in 1973 and the Eurozone currency union in 1999. The economic boom years of the Celtic Tiger (1995-2007) saw rapid economic growth, which came to an abrupt end in 2008 with the meltdown of the Irish banking system. Today the economy is recovering, fueled by large and growing foreign direct investment, especially from US multi-nationals.
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