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

Health

be 81.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Jamaica, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 11.4 years longer

In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 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 20.8% less likely to be obese

In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2024.

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see 10.1 times more spent on your healthcare

Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ireland spends $8,772 as of 2024.

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have 8.4 times more doctors per person

Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Ireland has 38.8 as of 2023.

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have 12.2% more access to essential health services

Jamaica scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ireland scores 83 as of 2021.

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be 5.1 times more likely to die by suicide

Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ireland, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 16.4 times more money

Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.

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be 40.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ireland, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.

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be 79.5% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Jamaica, 7.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Ireland, however, that number is 14.0% as of 2021.

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Life

be 96.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Jamaica, approximately 130.0 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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be 79.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Jamaica, approximately 16.4 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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have 12.7% fewer children

In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 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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Basic Needs

be 10.9% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Jamaica, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 97% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 47.4% less on education

Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Ireland spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

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Geography

see 41.7% more coastline

Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.

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Safety

be 98.7% less likely to be murdered

Jamaica has a homicide rate of 49.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Ireland, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 84.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ireland, they kill 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.0 times more home broadband

Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ireland has 32.3 as of 2024.

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live with 35.0% less strain on fresh water

Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ireland withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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use 5.2 times more electricity

Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ireland uses 6,298 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 40.9% less likely to die from air pollution

In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ireland, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.

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emit 2.1 times more CO2

Jamaica emits 2.8 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 (2019–2021), 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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