Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ireland fits inside Romania 3.4 times.
Ireland: 70,280 km² (2023) · Romania: 238,400 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ireland’s coastline is 6.4 times as long as Romania’s.
Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition) · Romania: 225 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Romania’s highest peak towers 1,503 m above Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition) · Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Romania has 3.5 times as many people as Ireland.
Ireland: 5.48 million (2025) · Romania: 19 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Romania is 4% more densely populated than Ireland.
Ireland: 80 per km² (2025) · Romania: 83 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 1.2 cm taller than in Romania.
Ireland: 179 cm (2019) · Romania: 177.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Romania and Ireland are practically level.
Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019) · Romania: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Romania is 4.2 years older than in Ireland.
Ireland: 38.4 years (2023) · Romania: 42.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ireland have 0.1 more children on average than in Romania.
Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Romania are 65 or older, versus 16% in Ireland.
Ireland: 16.2% (2025) · Romania: 20.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Romania 2.1.
Ireland: 9.1 (2025) · Romania: 2.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ireland has 2 official languages, Romania 1.
Ireland: 2 (2026) · Romania: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ireland’s economy is 68% larger than Romania’s.
Ireland: $722 billion (2025) · Romania: $429 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 3 times as much per person as Romania.
Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025) · Romania: Int$50,895 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Romania than in Ireland (Gini 0.8 points higher).
Ireland: 29 (2023) · Romania: 29.8 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Romania, versus 4.6% in Ireland.
Ireland: 4.6% (2025) · Romania: 6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Romania spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%.
Ireland: 0.2% (2024) · Romania: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Romania’s.
Ireland: 85% (2025) · Romania: 44% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 7 times as much on health per person as Romania.
Ireland: $7,395 (2024) · Romania: $1,051 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 6.6 years longer than in Romania.
Ireland: 83 years (2024) · Romania: 76.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Romania is 76% more likely to die before turning one than in Ireland.
Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 7% more doctors per person than Romania.
Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023) · Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 31% in Ireland.
Ireland: 30.6% (2024) · Romania: 37.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 18% in Ireland.
Ireland: 18.2% (2024) · Romania: 29.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 0.30 points higher than in Romania.
Ireland: 6.93 (2025) · Romania: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 66% more alcohol than in Ireland.
Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023) · Romania: 17.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 36% more meat per person than Romania.
Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023) · Romania: 72.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 272 kcal more food per person per day than Romania.
Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Romania put in 172 more hours a year than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023) · Romania: 1,826 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ireland went to school 0.17 years longer than in Romania.
Ireland: 11.7 years (2023) · Romania: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ireland welcomed 3.1 times as many tourists per resident as Romania (2019).
Ireland: 2.2 (2019) · Romania: 0.7 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 91% in Romania.
Ireland: 97% (2024) · Romania: 91% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Ireland and Romania are practically level.
Ireland: 100% (2024) · Romania: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
65% of people in Ireland live in cities, versus 52% in Romania.
Ireland: 65% (2025) · Romania: 52% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Romania has 120 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ireland 113.
Ireland: 113 (2024) · Romania: 120 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 6.5 times as long as Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,650 km (2021) · Romania: 10,769 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 238 times as many passengers per resident as those from Romania.
Ireland: 35.11 (2023) · Romania: 0.15 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 30% of Romania, but only 12% of Ireland.
Ireland: 11.5% (2023) · Romania: 30.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ireland emits 76% more CO₂ than someone in Romania.
Ireland: 6.3 t (2024) · Romania: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Ireland’s electricity is renewable, versus 47% in Romania.
Ireland: 48.1% (2025) · Romania: 47% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Romania carries 93% more fine dust than in Ireland.
Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 71% more likely to be murdered in Romania than in Ireland.
Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Romania are 3.4 times as deadly as in Ireland.
Ireland: 2.8 per 100k (2021) · Romania: 9.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Romania is on average 0.7 °C warmer than Ireland.
Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 50% more rain than Romania.
Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ireland bigger than Romania?
Romania is larger. Ireland fits inside Romania 3.4 times.
Which has more people, Ireland or Romania?
Romania has 3.5 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ireland or Romania?
People in Ireland live 6.6 years longer than in Romania. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in Ireland and 76.5 in Romania.
Are people taller in Ireland or Romania?
Men in Ireland are 1.2 cm taller than in Romania (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
