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

Health

be 35.2% less likely to die by suicide

Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ireland, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 38.1% more likely to be obese

In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2024.

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have 22.1% fewer doctors per person

Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Ireland has 38.8 as of 2023.

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Economy

make 39.1% more money

Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.

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be 14.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Norway, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Ireland, however, that number is 14.0% as of 2021.

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Life

be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Norway, approximately 1.0 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 70.0% more likely to die during infancy

In Norway, approximately 2.0 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 46.6% less on education

Norway spends 5.4% 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 27.4% less on healthcare

Norway spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ireland, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 94.2% less coastline

Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.

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Safety

be 86.7% more likely to die in a road accident

In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 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 28.5% less home broadband

Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ireland has 32.3 as of 2024.

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live with 3.9 times more strain on fresh water

Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ireland withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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use 73.4% less electricity

Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Ireland uses 6,298 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 15.9% less CO2

Norway emits 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 62.5% more likely to die from air pollution

In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ireland, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.

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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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