Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Ireland instead of United States, you would:

Health

live 0.9 years longer

In United States, the average life expectancy is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020. In Ireland, that number is 81 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2020.

be 30.1% less likely to be obese

In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ireland, that number is 25.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 22.4% more money

United States has a GDP per capita of $59,800 as of 2017, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $73,200 as of 2017.

be 45.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Ireland, however, that number is 8.2% as of 2013.

be 52.3% more likely to be unemployed

In United States, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Ireland, that number is 6.7% as of 2017.

pay a 21.2% higher top tax rate

United States has a top tax rate of 39.6% as of 2016. In Ireland, the top tax rate is 48.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 73.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In United States, approximately 19.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Ireland, 5.0 women do as of 2017.

be 32.1% less likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.3 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Ireland, on the other hand, 3.6 children do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 26.0% less on education

United States spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2014. Ireland spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2016.

Geography

see 92.7% less coastline

United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Service, The Office of the Revenue Commissioners.

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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