Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Ireland instead of South Korea, you would:

Health

live 1.3 years less

In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Ireland, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.

be 5.4 times more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ireland, that number is 25.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.3 times more money

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $115,600 as of 2023.

be 64.4% more likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Ireland, that number is 4.3% as of 2023.

pay a 26.3% higher top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Ireland, the top tax rate is 48.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 37.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Korea, approximately 8.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Ireland, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

have 60.4% more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Ireland, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 20.9% more likely to die during infancy

In South Korea, approximately 2.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Ireland, on the other hand, 3.5 children do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 34.0% less on education

South Korea spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Ireland spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 15.5% less on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Ireland, that number is 7.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 40.0% less coastline

South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Tax Service, South Korea, The Office of the Revenue Commissioners.

Ireland: At a glance

Ireland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 68,883 sq km. Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600 and 150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. Norman invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions. The Irish famine of the mid-19th century saw the population of the island drop by one third through starvation and emigration. For more than a century after that the population of the island continued to fall only to begin growing again in the 1960s. Over the last 50 years, Ireland's high birthrate has made it demographically one of the youngest populations in the EU. The modern Irish state traces its origins to the failed 1916 Easter Monday Uprising which touched off several years of guerrilla warfare resulting in independence from the UK in 1921 for 26 southern counties; six northern counties remained part of the UK. Unresolved issues in Northern Ireland erupted into years of violence known as the "Troubles" that began in the 1960s. The Government of Ireland was part of a process along with the UK and US Governments that helped broker what is known as The Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland in 1998. This initiated a new phase of cooperation between Irish and British governments. Ireland was neutral in World War II and continues its policy of military neutrality. Ireland joined the European Community in 1973 and the Eurozone currency union in 1999. The economic boom years of the Celtic Tiger (1995-2007) saw rapid economic growth, which came to an abrupt end in 2008 with the meltdown of the Irish banking system. Today the economy is recovering, fueled by large and growing foreign direct investment, especially from US multi-nationals.
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How big is Ireland compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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