Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ireland fits inside Italy 4.3 times.
Ireland: 70,280 km² (2023) · Italy: 302,070 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Italy’s coastline is 5.2 times as long as Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition) · Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Italy’s highest peak towers 3,707 m above Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition) · Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Italy has 11 times as many people as Ireland.
Ireland: 5.48 million (2025) · Italy: 58.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Italy is 2.5 times as densely populated as Ireland.
Ireland: 80 per km² (2025) · Italy: 199 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 4.6 cm taller than in Italy.
Ireland: 179 cm (2019) · Italy: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 2.7 cm taller than in Italy.
Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019) · Italy: 161.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Italy is 9 years older than in Ireland.
Ireland: 38.4 years (2023) · Italy: 47.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ireland have 0.3 more children on average than in Italy.
Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 16% in Ireland.
Ireland: 16.2% (2025) · Italy: 25.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Italy 3.4.
Ireland: 9.1 (2025) · Italy: 3.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ireland has 2 official languages, Italy 1.
Ireland: 2 (2026) · Italy: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Italy’s economy is 3.5 times the size of Ireland’s.
Ireland: $722 billion (2025) · Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 2.5 times as much per person as Italy.
Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025) · Italy: Int$62,803 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Italy than in Ireland (Gini 5.3 points higher).
Ireland: 29 (2023) · Italy: 34.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.4% in Italy, versus 4.6% in Ireland.
Ireland: 4.6% (2025) · Italy: 6.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Italy spends 1.6% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%.
Ireland: 0.2% (2024) · Italy: 1.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Italy’s.
Ireland: 85% (2025) · Italy: 69% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 2.2 times as much on health per person as Italy.
Ireland: $7,395 (2024) · Italy: $3,398 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Italy live 0.94 years longer than in Ireland.
Ireland: 83 years (2024) · Italy: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ireland is 48% more likely to die before turning one than in Italy.
Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Italy has 8% more doctors per person than Ireland.
Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023) · Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Ireland are obese, versus 18% in Italy.
Ireland: 30.6% (2024) · Italy: 17.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Italy smoke, versus 18% in Ireland.
Ireland: 18.2% (2024) · Italy: 22.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 0.35 points higher than in Italy.
Ireland: 6.93 (2025) · Italy: 6.57 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ireland drink 22% more alcohol than in Italy.
Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023) · Italy: 8.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 38% more meat per person than Italy.
Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023) · Italy: 71.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 168 kcal more food per person per day than Italy.
Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Italy put in 47 more hours a year than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023) · Italy: 1,701 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ireland went to school 0.9 years longer than in Italy.
Ireland: 11.7 years (2023) · Italy: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ireland welcomed 2.2 times as many tourists per resident as Italy (2019).
Ireland: 2.2 (2019) · Italy: 0.98 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 89% in Italy.
Ireland: 97% (2024) · Italy: 89% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Ireland and Italy are practically level.
Ireland: 100% (2024) · Italy: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Italy live in cities, versus 65% in Ireland.
Ireland: 65% (2025) · Italy: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Italy has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ireland 113.
Ireland: 113 (2024) · Italy: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Italy’s railway network is 10 times as long as Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,650 km (2021) · Italy: 17,305 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 102 times as many passengers per resident as those from Italy.
Ireland: 35.11 (2023) · Italy: 0.34 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of Italy, but only 12% of Ireland.
Ireland: 11.5% (2023) · Italy: 32.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ireland emits 25% more CO₂ than someone in Italy.
Ireland: 6.3 t (2024) · Italy: 5.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
49% of Italy’s electricity is renewable, versus 48% in Ireland.
Ireland: 48.1% (2025) · Italy: 48.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Italy carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in Ireland.
Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 15% more likely to be murdered in Ireland than in Italy.
Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Italy are 79% deadlier than in Ireland.
Ireland: 2.8 per 100k (2021) · Italy: 5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Italy is on average 3.6 °C warmer than Ireland.
Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 11% more rain than Italy.
Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Italy: 1,030 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ireland bigger than Italy?
Italy is larger. Ireland fits inside Italy 4.3 times.
Which has more people, Ireland or Italy?
Italy has 11 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ireland or Italy?
People in Italy live 0.94 years longer than in Ireland. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in Ireland and 84.0 in Italy.
Are people taller in Ireland or Italy?
Men in Ireland are 4.6 cm taller than in Italy (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
