Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ireland fits inside Saudi Arabia 31 times.
Ireland: 70,280 km² (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Saudi Arabia’s coastline is 82% longer than Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Saudi Arabia’s highest peak towers 1,959 m above Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 3,000 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Saudi Arabia has 6.7 times as many people as Ireland.
Ireland: 5.48 million (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 37 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ireland is 4.6 times as densely populated as Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 80 per km² (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 17 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 8.4 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 179 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 170.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 5.7 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ireland is 9.2 years older than in Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 38.4 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 29.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Saudi Arabia have 0.8 more children on average than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2.31 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Ireland are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 16.2% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Saudi Arabia none.
Ireland: 9.1 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ireland has 2 official languages, Saudi Arabia 1.
Ireland: 2 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Saudi Arabia’s economy is 77% larger than Ireland’s.
Ireland: $722 billion (2025) · Saudi Arabia: $1.28 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 2.1 times as much per person as Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: Int$73,784 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Ireland: 29 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in Ireland, versus 3.0% in Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 4.6% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Saudi Arabia spends 7.3% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%.
Ireland: 0.2% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 7.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Saudi Arabia’s.
Ireland: 85% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 4.1 times as much on health per person as Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: $7,395 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: $1,825 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 4 years longer than in Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 83 years (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 79 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Saudi Arabia is 38% more likely to die before turning one than in Ireland.
Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 14% more doctors per person than Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
39% of adults in Saudi Arabia are obese, versus 31% in Ireland.
Ireland: 30.6% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 39.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Ireland smoke, versus 15% in Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 18.2% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 14.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 0.11 points higher than in Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 6.93 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 69% more meat per person than Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 58.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 261 kcal more food per person per day than Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 3,660 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Saudi Arabia put in 470 more hours a year than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,125 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ireland went to school 0.12 years longer than in Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 11.7 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ireland welcomed 2.6 times as many tourists per resident as Saudi Arabia (2019).
Ireland: 2.2 (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 0.84 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia are online, versus 97% in Ireland.
Ireland: 97% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Ireland and Saudi Arabia are practically level.
Ireland: 100% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
85% of people in Saudi Arabia live in cities, versus 65% in Ireland.
Ireland: 65% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 85% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Saudi Arabia has 160 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ireland 113.
Ireland: 113 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 160 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Saudi Arabia’s railway network is 78% longer than Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,650 km (2021) · Saudi Arabia: 2,939 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 27 times as many passengers per resident as those from Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 35.11 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 12% of Ireland, but only 0.5% of Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 11.5% (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 0.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Saudi Arabia emits 3.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ireland.
Ireland: 6.3 t (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 20.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Ireland’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.2% in Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 48.1% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 2.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Saudi Arabia carries 6.8 times as much fine dust as in Ireland.
Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 50.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 43% more likely to be murdered in Saudi Arabia than in Ireland.
Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 0.9 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Saudi Arabia are 6.6 times as deadly as in Ireland.
Ireland: 2.8 per 100k (2021) · Saudi Arabia: 18.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Saudi Arabia is on average 16.5 °C warmer than Ireland.
Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 19 times as much rain as Saudi Arabia.
Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ireland bigger than Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia is larger. Ireland fits inside Saudi Arabia 31 times.
Which has more people, Ireland or Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia has 6.7 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ireland or Saudi Arabia?
People in Ireland live 4 years longer than in Saudi Arabia. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in Ireland and 79.0 in Saudi Arabia.
Are people taller in Ireland or Saudi Arabia?
Men in Ireland are 8.4 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
