Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ireland fits inside the United States 140 times.
Ireland: 70,280 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 14 times as long as Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 5,149 m above Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 62 times as many people as Ireland.
Ireland: 5.48 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ireland is 2.1 times as densely populated as the United States.
Ireland: 80 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 2.1 cm taller than in the United States.
Ireland: 179 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 1.2 cm taller than in the United States.
Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ireland is 0.39 years older than in the United States.
Ireland: 38.4 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.2 more children on average than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 16% in Ireland.
Ireland: 16.2% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United States 8.7.
Ireland: 9.1 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ireland has 2 official languages, the United States 1.
Ireland: 2 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 43 times the size of Ireland’s.
Ireland: $722 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 72% more per person than the United States.
Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Ireland (Gini 12.8 points higher).
Ireland: 29 (2023) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Ireland and the United States are practically level.
Ireland: 4.6% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%.
Ireland: 0.2% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Ireland’s.
Ireland: 85% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 82% more on health per person than Ireland.
Ireland: $7,395 (2024) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 4.1 years longer than in the United States.
Ireland: 83 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United States is 62% more likely to die before turning one than in Ireland.
Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 5% more doctors per person than the United States.
Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 31% in Ireland.
Ireland: 30.6% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Ireland smoke, versus 16% in the United States.
Ireland: 18.2% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (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 the United States.
Ireland: 6.93 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ireland drink 7% more alcohol than in the United States.
Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 24% more meat per person than Ireland.
Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 26 kcal more food per person per day than Ireland.
Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United States put in 135 more hours a year than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 2.2 years longer than in Ireland.
Ireland: 11.7 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ireland welcomed 10 times as many tourists per resident as the United States (2019).
Ireland: 2.2 (2019) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 95% in the United States.
Ireland: 97% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Ireland and the United States are practically level.
Ireland: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 65% in Ireland.
Ireland: 65% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United States and Ireland are practically level.
Ireland: 113 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 90 times as long as Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,650 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 13 times as many passengers per resident as those from the United States.
Ireland: 35.11 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 12% of Ireland.
Ireland: 11.5% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 2.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ireland.
Ireland: 6.3 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Ireland’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States.
Ireland: 48.1% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United States carries 1% more fine dust than in Ireland.
Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 8.8 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in Ireland.
Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 5.1 times as deadly as in Ireland.
Ireland: 2.8 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United States and Ireland are practically level.
Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 34% more rain than the United States.
Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ireland bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Ireland fits inside the United States 140 times.
Which has more people, Ireland or the United States?
The United States has 62 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ireland or the United States?
People in Ireland live 4.1 years longer than in the United States. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in Ireland and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Ireland or the United States?
Men in Ireland are 2.1 cm taller than in the United States (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
