Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ireland fits inside Canada 222 times.
Canada: 15,634,400 km² (2023) · Ireland: 70,280 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Canada’s coastline is 140 times as long as Ireland’s.
Canada: 202,080 km (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Canada’s highest peak towers 4,918 m above Ireland’s.
Canada: 5,959 m (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Canada has 7.6 times as many people as Ireland.
Canada: 41.7 million (2025) · Ireland: 5.48 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ireland is 17 times as densely populated as Canada.
Canada: 5 per km² (2025) · Ireland: 80 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Ireland and Canada are practically level.
Canada: 178.8 cm (2019) · Ireland: 179 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Canada and Ireland are practically level.
Canada: 164.7 cm (2019) · Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Canada is 1.9 years older than in Ireland.
Canada: 40.3 years (2023) · Ireland: 38.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ireland have 0.2 more children on average than in Canada.
Canada: 1.25 children per woman (2024) · Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Canada are 65 or older, versus 16% in Ireland.
Canada: 20.3% (2025) · Ireland: 16.2% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Canada 5.3.
Canada: 5.3 (2025) · Ireland: 9.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Canada and Ireland are practically level.
Canada: 2 (2026) · Ireland: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Canada’s economy is 3.2 times the size of Ireland’s.
Canada: $2.32 trillion (2025) · Ireland: $722 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 2.3 times as much per person as Canada.
Canada: Int$66,746 (2025) · Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Canada than in Ireland (Gini 2.5 points higher).
Canada: 31.5 (2022) · Ireland: 29 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.9% in Canada, versus 4.6% in Ireland.
Canada: 6.9% (2025) · Ireland: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Canada spends 1.3% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%.
Canada: 1.3% (2024) · Ireland: 0.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Canada’s.
Canada: 83% (2025) · Ireland: 85% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 16% more on health per person than Canada.
Canada: $6,378 (2024) · Ireland: $7,395 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 0.9 years longer than in Canada.
Canada: 82.1 years (2024) · Ireland: 83 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Canada is 38% more likely to die before turning one than in Ireland.
Canada: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 37% more doctors per person than Canada.
Canada: 2.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Ireland are obese, versus 27% in Canada.
Canada: 27.1% (2024) · Ireland: 30.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Ireland smoke, versus 11% in Canada.
Canada: 11.2% (2024) · Ireland: 18.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 0.19 points higher than in Canada.
Canada: 6.74 (2025) · Ireland: 6.93 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ireland drink 11% more alcohol than in Canada.
Canada: 9.2 litres (2023) · Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 4% more meat per person than Canada.
Canada: 94.8 kg (2023) · Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 331 kcal more food per person per day than Canada.
Canada: 3,590 kcal (2023) · Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Canada put in 77 more hours a year than in Ireland.
Canada: 1,731 hours (2023) · Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Canada went to school 2.1 years longer than in Ireland.
Canada: 13.9 years (2023) · Ireland: 11.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ireland welcomed 4.6 times as many tourists per resident as Canada (2019).
Canada: 0.48 (2024) · Ireland: 2.2 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 94% in Canada.
Canada: 94% (2024) · Ireland: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Canada and Ireland are practically level.
Canada: 100% (2024) · Ireland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in Canada live in cities, versus 65% in Ireland.
Canada: 83% (2025) · Ireland: 65% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ireland has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Canada 94.
Canada: 94 (2024) · Ireland: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Canada’s railway network is 29 times as long as Ireland’s.
Canada: 48,150 km (2021) · Ireland: 1,650 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 16 times as many passengers per resident as those from Canada.
Canada: 2.13 (2023) · Ireland: 35.11 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 39% of Canada, but only 12% of Ireland.
Canada: 39.5% (2023) · Ireland: 11.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Canada emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ireland.
Canada: 13.4 t (2024) · Ireland: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
64% of Canada’s electricity is renewable, versus 48% in Ireland.
Canada: 63.9% (2025) · Ireland: 48.1% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ireland carries 6% more fine dust than in Canada.
Canada: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3 times as likely to be murdered in Canada as in Ireland.
Canada: 2 per 100k (2023) · Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Canada are 68% deadlier than in Ireland.
Canada: 4.7 per 100k (2021) · Ireland: 2.8 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ireland is on average 13.2 °C warmer than Canada.
Canada: -3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 67% more rain than Canada.
Canada: 683 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Canada bigger than Ireland?
Canada is larger. Ireland fits inside Canada 222 times.
Which has more people, Canada or Ireland?
Canada has 7.6 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Canada or Ireland?
People in Ireland live 0.9 years longer than in Canada. Life expectancy at birth is 82.1 years in Canada and 83.0 in Ireland.
Are people taller in Canada or Ireland?
Ireland and Canada are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
