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

Health

be 90.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Rwanda, 2.0% 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 15.0 years longer

In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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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see 49.6 times more spent on your healthcare

Rwanda spends $177 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ireland spends $8,772 as of 2024.

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have 43.1 times more doctors per person

Rwanda has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ireland has 38.8 as of 2023.

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have 69.4% more access to essential health services

Rwanda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ireland scores 83 as of 2021.

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be 5.0 times more likely to be obese

In Rwanda, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 59.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Rwanda, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ireland, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.

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be 48.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Rwanda, 27.4% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Ireland, however, that number is 14.0% as of 2021.

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make 117.1 times more money

Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.

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Life

be 98.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Rwanda, approximately 229.0 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 88.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Rwanda, approximately 29.4 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 64.4% fewer children

In Rwanda, there are approximately 28.1 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 56.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In Rwanda, approximately 64% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Ireland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 3.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Rwanda, approximately 31.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ireland, about 97.2% do as of 2024.

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be 58.2% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Rwanda, approximately 61% of people have access to drinking water (88% in urban areas, and 56% 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 37.1% less on education

Rwanda spends 4.6% 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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spend 33.5% more on healthcare

Rwanda spends 5.1% 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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Safety

be 82.0% less likely to be murdered

Rwanda has a homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Ireland, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 75.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Rwanda, road accidents kill 11.6 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 53.8 times more home broadband

Rwanda has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ireland has 32.3 as of 2024.

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live with 60.1% less strain on fresh water

Rwanda withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ireland withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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use 82.1 times more electricity

Rwanda uses 77 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ireland uses 6,298 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 79.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Rwanda, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ireland, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.

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emit 37.8 times more CO2

Rwanda emits 0.2 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 (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). 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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