Ireland’s coastline is 22 times as long as Belgium’s

Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition)

Ireland’s highest peak towers 347 m above Belgium’s

Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition)

Farmland covers 65% of Ireland, versus 44% of Belgium

Belgium: 44.4% (2024) · Ireland: 65.1% (2024)

Belgium has 2.2 times as many people as Ireland

Belgium: 11.9 million (2025) · Ireland: 5.48 million (2025)

Belgium is 4.9 times as densely populated as Ireland

Belgium: 392 per km² (2025) · Ireland: 80 per km² (2025)

The typical person in Belgium is 3 years older than in Ireland

Belgium: 41.4 years (2023) · Ireland: 38.4 years (2023)

Ireland and Belgium are practically level

Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024) · Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024)

21% of people in Belgium are 65 or older, versus 16% in Ireland

Belgium: 21% (2025) · Ireland: 16.2% (2025)

Ireland hosts 61% more refugees per resident than Belgium

Belgium: 15.6 per 1,000 (2025) · Ireland: 25.1 per 1,000 (2025)

Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Belgium 8.4

Belgium: 8.4 (2026) · Ireland: 9.1 (2026)

Belgium has 3 official languages, Ireland 2

Belgium: 3 (2026) · Ireland: 2 (2026)

Belgium and Ireland are nearly identical here

Belgium: $725 billion (2025) · Ireland: $722 billion (2025)

Ireland produces 2.1 times as much per person as Belgium

Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025) · Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025)

Income is more unequally shared in Ireland than in Belgium (Gini 2.2 points higher)

Belgium: 26.8 (2023) · Ireland: 29 (2023)

Belgium and Ireland are practically level

Belgium: 0.1% (2023) · Ireland: 0.1% (2023)

Unemployment is 5.9% in Belgium, versus 4.6% in Ireland

Belgium: 5.9% (2025) · Ireland: 4.6% (2025)

Belgium spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%

Belgium: 2% (2025) · Ireland: 0.2% (2025)

Belgium’s central government collects 23% of GDP in tax, Ireland’s 18%

Belgium: 23% (2024) · Ireland: 17.9% (2024)

Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Belgium’s

Belgium: 81% (2025) · Ireland: 85% (2025)

Ireland spends 25% more on health per person than Belgium

Belgium: $5,931 (2023) · Ireland: $7,395 (2024)

A baby in Ireland is 10% more likely to die before turning one than in Belgium

Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)

Ireland has 8% more doctors per person than Belgium

Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023)

Belgium has 83% more hospital beds per person than Ireland

Belgium: 5.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Ireland: 3 per 1,000 (2023)

The suicide rate in Belgium is 2.1 times that in Ireland

Belgium: 15.1 per 100k (2023) · Ireland: 7.2 per 100k (2023)

31% of adults in Ireland are obese, versus 23% in Belgium

Belgium: 22.9% (2024) · Ireland: 30.6% (2024)

24% of adults in Belgium smoke, versus 18% in Ireland

Belgium: 23.5% (2024) · Ireland: 18.2% (2024)

Ireland and Belgium are practically level

Belgium: 6.93 (2025) · Ireland: 6.93 (2025)

Adults in Ireland drink 8% more alcohol than in Belgium

Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023) · Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023)

Ireland has 64% more meat per person than Belgium

Belgium: 60 kg (2023) · Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023)

Belgium and Ireland are practically level

Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023)

Workers in Ireland put in 61 more hours a year than in Belgium

Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023) · Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023)

Adults in Belgium went to school 0.96 year longer than in Ireland

Belgium: 12.7 years (2023) · Ireland: 11.7 years (2023)

Ireland welcomed 2.7 times as many tourists per resident as Belgium (2019)

Belgium: 0.81 (2024) · Ireland: 2.2 (2019)

Belgium has 14 more World Heritage sites than Ireland (16 against 2)

Belgium: 16 (2026) · Ireland: 2 (2026)

Belgium has won 177 Olympic medals, Ireland 42

Belgium: 177 (2026 edition) · Ireland: 42 (2026 edition)

97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 96% in Belgium

Belgium: 96% (2024) · Ireland: 97% (2024)

Home internet in Ireland is 18% faster than in Belgium

Belgium: 254 Mbps (2026) · Ireland: 300 Mbps (2026)

Belgium and Ireland are practically level

Belgium: 100% (2024) · Ireland: 100% (2024)

88% of people in Belgium live in cities, versus 65% in Ireland

Belgium: 88% (2025) · Ireland: 65% (2025)

Ireland has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Belgium 104

Belgium: 104 (2024) · Ireland: 113 (2024)

Belgium’s railway network is 2.2 times as long as Ireland’s

Belgium: 3,612 km (2021) · Ireland: 1,650 km (2021)

Airlines from Ireland fly 37 times as many passengers per resident as those from Belgium

Belgium: 0.95 (2023) · Ireland: 35.11 (2023)

Forest covers 22% of Belgium, but only 12% of Ireland

Belgium: 22% (2024) · Ireland: 12% (2024)

The average person in Belgium emits 15% more CO₂ than someone in Ireland

Belgium: 7.3 t (2024) · Ireland: 6.3 t (2024)

48% of Ireland’s electricity is renewable, versus 39% in Belgium

Belgium: 38.9% (2025) · Ireland: 48.1% (2025)

The air in Belgium carries 26% more fine dust than in Ireland

Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024)

You are 65% more likely to be murdered in Belgium than in Ireland

Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023)

Roads in Belgium are 31% deadlier than in Ireland

Belgium: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · Ireland: 5.2 per 100k (2023)

Belgium is on average 0.8 °C warmer than Ireland

Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)

Ireland gets 23% more rain than Belgium

Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg)