Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ireland fits inside China 136 times
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Ireland: 70,280 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 10 times as long as Ireland’s
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 7,808 m above Ireland’s
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 65% of Ireland, versus 42% of China
China: 41.7% (2024) · Ireland: 65.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 256 times as many people as Ireland
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Ireland: 5.48 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 88% more densely populated than Ireland
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Ireland: 80 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 3.4 cm taller than in China
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Ireland: 179 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 1.0 cm taller than in China
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 0.65 years older than in Ireland
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Ireland: 38.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ireland have 0.5 more children on average than in China
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Ireland are 65 or older, versus 15% in China
China: 14.9% (2025) · Ireland: 16.2% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Ireland hosts 153,736 times as many refugees per resident as China
China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025) · Ireland: 25.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1
China: 0.1 (2026) · Ireland: 9.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Ireland has 2 official languages, China 1
China: 1 (2026) · Ireland: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 27 times the size of Ireland’s
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Ireland: $722 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 5.3 times as much per person as China
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in Ireland (Gini 7 points higher)
China: 36 (2022) · Ireland: 29 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Ireland and China are practically level
China: 0% (2022) · Ireland: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Ireland and China are practically level
China: 4.6% (2025) · Ireland: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%
China: 1.7% (2025) · Ireland: 0.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ireland’s central government collects 18% of GDP in tax, China’s 7.0%
China: 7% (2024) · Ireland: 17.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× China’s
China: 47% (2025) · Ireland: 85% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 9.7 times as much on health per person as China
China: $763 (2023) · Ireland: $7,395 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 5 years longer than in China
China: 78 years (2024) · Ireland: 83 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in China is 21% more likely to die before turning one than in Ireland
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 25% more doctors per person than China
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
China has 90% more hospital beds per person than Ireland
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Ireland: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in China is 11% higher than in Ireland
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Ireland: 7.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Ireland are obese, versus 9.1% in China
China: 9.1% (2024) · Ireland: 30.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 18% in Ireland
China: 22.8% (2024) · Ireland: 18.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 0.85 points higher than in China
China: 6.07 (2025) · Ireland: 6.93 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ireland drink 2.8 times as much alcohol as in China
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 34% more meat per person than China
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 394 kcal more food per person per day than China
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 674 more hours a year than in Ireland
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ireland went to school 3.7 years longer than in China
China: 8 years (2023) · Ireland: 11.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ireland welcomed 47 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019)
China: 0.05 (2019) · Ireland: 2.2 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 59 more World Heritage sites than Ireland (61 against 2)
China: 61 (2026) · Ireland: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Ireland 42
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Ireland: 42 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 92% in China
China: 92% (2025) · Ireland: 97% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 21% faster than in Ireland
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Ireland: 300 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
China and Ireland are practically level
China: 100% (2024) · Ireland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in China live in cities, versus 65% in Ireland
China: 66% (2025) · Ireland: 65% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ireland 113
China: 132 (2024) · Ireland: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 67 times as long as Ireland’s
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Ireland: 1,650 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 80 times as many passengers per resident as those from China
China: 0.44 (2023) · Ireland: 35.11 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of China, but only 12% of Ireland
China: 24% (2024) · Ireland: 12% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 37% more CO₂ than someone in Ireland
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Ireland: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Ireland’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China
China: 37% (2025) · Ireland: 48.1% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 4.2 times as much fine dust as in Ireland
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 30% more likely to be murdered in Ireland than in China
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 4.8 times as deadly as in Ireland
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Ireland: 5.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ireland is on average 2.5 °C warmer than China
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 40% more rain than China
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Ireland?
China is larger. Ireland fits inside China 136 times.
Which has more people, China or Ireland?
China has 256 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Ireland?
People in Ireland live 5 years longer than in China. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 83.0 in Ireland.
Are people taller in China or Ireland?
Men in Ireland are 3.4 cm taller than in China (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
