The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ireland fits inside the United Kingdom 3.5 times.
Ireland: 70,280 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 8.6 times as long as Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United Kingdom’s highest peak towers 304 m above Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 13 times as many people as Ireland.
Ireland: 5.48 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 3.6 times as densely populated as Ireland.
Ireland: 80 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Ireland and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Ireland: 179 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Ireland and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 1.4 years older than in Ireland.
Ireland: 38.4 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.1 more children on average than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 16% in Ireland.
Ireland: 16.2% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ireland 9.1.
Ireland: 9.1 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ireland has 2 official languages, the United Kingdom 1.
Ireland: 2 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 5.5 times the size of Ireland’s.
Ireland: $722 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 2.4 times as much per person as the United Kingdom.
Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United Kingdom than in Ireland (Gini 3.4 points higher).
Ireland: 29 (2023) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
The United Kingdom and Ireland are practically level.
Ireland: 4.6% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%.
Ireland: 0.2% (2024) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Ireland’s.
Ireland: 85% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 26% more on health per person than the United Kingdom.
Ireland: $7,395 (2024) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 1.6 years longer than in the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 83 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 21% more likely to die before turning one than in Ireland.
Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 17% more doctors per person than the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Ireland are obese, versus 29% in the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 30.6% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Ireland smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 18.2% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 0.23 points higher than in the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 6.93 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 2% more alcohol than in Ireland.
Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 17% more meat per person than the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 486 kcal more food per person per day than the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ireland put in 131 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 1.8 years longer than in Ireland.
Ireland: 11.7 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ireland welcomed 4 times as many tourists per resident as the United Kingdom (2019).
Ireland: 2.2 (2019) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 95% in the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 97% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Ireland and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Ireland: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 65% in Ireland.
Ireland: 65% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ireland 113.
Ireland: 113 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 9.8 times as long as Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,650 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 21 times as many passengers per resident as those from the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 35.11 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 13% of the United Kingdom, but only 12% of Ireland.
Ireland: 11.5% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ireland emits 40% more CO₂ than someone in the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 6.3 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 48% in Ireland.
Ireland: 48.1% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Kingdom carries 19% more fine dust than in Ireland.
Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 71% more likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom than in Ireland.
Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ireland are 17% deadlier than in the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 2.8 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ireland is on average 0.4 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 6% more rain than the United Kingdom.
Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ireland bigger than the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is larger. Ireland fits inside the United Kingdom 3.5 times.
Which has more people, Ireland or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 13 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ireland or the United Kingdom?
People in Ireland live 1.6 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in Ireland and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Ireland or the United Kingdom?
Ireland and the United Kingdom are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).