Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ireland instead of Spain, you would:
Health
see 77.8% more spent on your healthcare
Spain spends $4,935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ireland spends $8,772 as of 2024.
live 0.9 years less
In Spain, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 82.1% more likely to be obese
In Spain, 15.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 55.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Spain, 10.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ireland, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
be 30.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Spain, 20.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Ireland, however, that number is 14.0% as of 2021.
make 3.4 times more money
Spain has a GDP per capita of $38,627 as of 2025, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.
Life
have 53.8% more children
In Spain, there are approximately 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ireland, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 33.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Spain, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ireland, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 30.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Spain, approximately 2.6 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 36.8% less on education
Spain spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Ireland spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 25.7% less on healthcare
Spain spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ireland, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 70.8% less coastline
Spain has a total of 4,964 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.
Safety
be 20.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Spain, road accidents kill 3.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ireland, they kill 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 81.4% less strain on fresh water
Spain withdraws 43% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ireland withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 21.2% more electricity
Spain uses 5,196 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Ireland uses 6,298 kWh as of 2024.
find 17.7% less home broadband
Spain has 39.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ireland has 32.3 as of 2024.
Environment
be 30.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Spain, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ireland, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 33.9% more CO2
Spain emits 4.5 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: Spain vs. Ireland
Ireland: At a glance
How big is Ireland compared to Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.