Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ireland instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
see 12.9% more spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ireland spends $8,772 as of 2024.
be 38.2% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ireland, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.0 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 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 59.2% more likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2024.
have 12.1% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Ireland has 38.8 as of 2023.
Economy
be 46.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ireland, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
be 13.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Ireland, however, that number is 14.0% as of 2021.
make 2.1 times more money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.
Life
be 70.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, 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.
Expenditures
spend 60.4% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Ireland spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 38.9% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 55.0% less coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.
Safety
be 43.5% less likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Ireland, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 33.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ireland, they kill 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 20.5% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ireland has 32.3 as of 2024.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ireland withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 48.5% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Ireland uses 6,298 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 62.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ireland, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 69.2% more CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 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: Sweden vs. Ireland
Ireland: At a glance
How big is Ireland compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.