Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Ireland instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:

Health

be 11.8% less likely to be obese

In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2024.

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see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare

United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ireland spends $8,772 as of 2024.

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have 29.5% more doctors per person

United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Ireland has 38.8 as of 2023.

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be 5.0 times more likely to die by suicide

United Arab Emirates has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ireland, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 2.6 times more money

United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ireland, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.

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Life

be 10.5% less likely to die during infancy

In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.8 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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be 33.3% more likely to die during childbirth

In United Arab Emirates, 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.

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Expenditures

spend 25.4% less on education

United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Ireland spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

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spend 37.8% more on healthcare

United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% 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 52.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In United Arab Emirates, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ireland, they kill 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 99.5% less strain on fresh water

United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ireland withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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find 20.9% less home broadband

United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ireland has 32.3 as of 2024.

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use 58.8% less electricity

United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ireland uses 6,298 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 81.4% less likely to die from air pollution

In United Arab Emirates, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ireland, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.

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emit 66.9% less CO2

United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Ireland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Ireland is 35.6% more expensive than United Arab Emirates overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
United Arab Emirates is about 1.2 times bigger than Ireland.
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Moving from United Arab Emirates to Ireland · UN DESA 2020
228 people born in United Arab Emirates live in Ireland.
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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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