Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ireland instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
see 72.6% more spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ireland spends $8,772 as of 2024.
have 48.5% more doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ireland has 38.8 as of 2023.
be 68.9% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ireland, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.3 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 3.6 times more money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.
be 72.8% more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ireland, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ireland, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 47.8% more likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, 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.
Expenditures
spend 46.4% less on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Ireland spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 21.1% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 40.0% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.
Safety
be 17.0% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In South Korea, 64% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Ireland, that number is 75% as of 2019.
be 59.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ireland, they kill 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 35.4% more likely to be murdered
South Korea has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Ireland, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 90.6% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ireland withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 32.4% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ireland has 32.3 as of 2024.
use 44.5% less electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Ireland uses 6,298 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 31.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ireland, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 46.8% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Ireland
Ireland: At a glance
How big is Ireland compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.