Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.0 years longer

In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 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 25.7% less likely to die by suicide

Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ireland, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 89.8% more likely to be obese

In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 78.6% more money

Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.

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be 19.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ireland, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.

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Expenditures

spend 44.0% less on education

Netherlands spends 5.2% 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 31.6% less on healthcare

Netherlands spends 10.0% 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 3.2 times more coastline

Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.

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Safety

be 17.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ireland, they kill 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 51.7% less strain on fresh water

Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ireland withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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find 24.8% less home broadband

Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ireland has 32.3 as of 2024.

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

Compare further: Netherlands vs. Ireland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Ireland is 3.4% cheaper than Netherlands overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Netherlands is about 1.7 times smaller than Ireland.
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Moving from Netherlands to Ireland · UN DESA 2020
5,708 people born in Netherlands live in Ireland.
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City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Amsterdam vs Dublin
→

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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How big is Ireland compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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