World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country is 58% bigger than Ireland
Ireland: 70,280 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ireland’s coastline is 3.3 times as long as the median country’s
Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 1,294 m above Ireland’s
Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 65% of Ireland, versus 38% of the median country
Ireland: 65.1% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 35% more people than Ireland
Ireland: 5.48 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 24% more densely populated than Ireland
Ireland: 80 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 5.5 cm taller than in the median country
Ireland: 179 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 3.9 cm taller than in the median country
Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ireland is 7.3 years older than in the median country
Ireland: 38.4 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.4 more children on average than in Ireland
Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Ireland are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country
Ireland: 16.2% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Ireland hosts 31 times as many refugees per resident as the median country
Ireland: 25.1 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country none
Ireland: 9.1 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Ireland has 2 official languages, the median country 1
Ireland: 2 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ireland’s economy is 16 times the size of the median country’s
Ireland: $722 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 7.4 times as much per person as the median country
Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Ireland (Gini 5.4 points higher)
Ireland: 29 (2023) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.6% of people in the median country live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Ireland
Ireland: 0.1% (2023) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 4.6% in Ireland
Ireland: 4.6% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.8% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%
Ireland: 0.2% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ireland’s central government collects 18% of GDP in tax, the median country’s 17%
Ireland: 17.9% (2024) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× the median country’s
Ireland: 85% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 16 times as much on health per person as the median country
Ireland: $7,395 (2024) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 8.4 years longer than in the median country
Ireland: 83 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 3.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Ireland
Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 2.3 times as many doctors per person as the median country
Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Ireland has 22% more hospital beds per person than the median country
Ireland: 3 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the median country is 39% higher than in Ireland
Ireland: 7.2 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Ireland are obese, versus 24% in the median country
Ireland: 30.6% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 18% in Ireland
Ireland: 18.2% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 1.09 points higher than in the median country
Ireland: 6.93 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ireland drink 2.4 times as much alcohol as in the median country
Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 75% more meat per person than the median country
Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 983 kcal more food per person per day than the median country
Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 320 more hours a year than in Ireland
Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ireland went to school 1.8 years longer than in the median country
Ireland: 11.7 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ireland welcomed 6.4 times as many tourists per resident as the median country (2019)
Ireland: 2.2 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The median country has 1 more World Heritage site than Ireland (3 against 2)
Ireland: 2 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Ireland has won 42 Olympic medals, the median country 4
Ireland: 42 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 82% in the median country
Ireland: 97% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Ireland is 87% faster than in the median country
Ireland: 300 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Ireland and the median country are practically level
Ireland: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
65% of people in Ireland live in cities, versus 64% in the median country
Ireland: 65% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ireland 113
Ireland: 113 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 30% longer than Ireland’s
Ireland: 1,650 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 147 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country
Ireland: 35.11 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of the median country, but only 12% of Ireland
Ireland: 12% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ireland emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country
Ireland: 6.3 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Ireland’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country
Ireland: 48.1% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in Ireland
Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.5 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in Ireland
Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 3.6 times as deadly as in Ireland
Ireland: 5.2 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 12.7 °C warmer than Ireland
Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 12% more rain than the median country
Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ireland bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. The median country is 58% bigger than Ireland.
Which has more people, Ireland or the median country?
The median country has 35% more people than Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ireland or the median country?
People in Ireland live 8.4 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in Ireland and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Ireland or the median country?
Men in Ireland are 5.5 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
