Compare
Ireland vs United States
How Ireland and United States compare on 38 measures, from 1789 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, Ireland was higher: 82.4 years against 79.3 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, Ireland was higher: $104,400 against $67,950
- Population · In 2023, United States was higher: 344 million people against 5.2 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, United States was higher: 3.12% of GDP against 0.22% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, United States was higher: 13.62 tonnes against 6.04 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyIreland: 82.4 years in 2023United States: 79.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIreland: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024United States: 0.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIreland: 2.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023United States: 5.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterIreland: 96% in 2022United States: 97.5% in 2022
- DepressionIreland: 4.25% in 2017United States: 4.84% in 2017
- Suicide rateIreland: 8.4 per 100,000 people in 2017United States: 12.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIreland: 5.2 million people in 2023United States: 344 million people in 2023
- Population growthIreland: 1.19% a year in 2023United States: 0.58% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIreland: 1.6 births per woman in 2023United States: 1.62 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIreland: 64.6% in 2025United States: 80.2% in 2025
- Median ageIreland: 38.4 years in 2023United States: 38 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIreland: 15.5% in 2023United States: 17.4% in 2023
- Net migration rateIreland: 8.4 per 1,000 people in 2023United States: 3.9 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIreland: 0.22% of GDP in 2025United States: 3.12% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsIreland: $1.46B in 2025United States: $929B in 2025
- Military spending per personIreland: $272 in 2025United States: $2,755 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingIreland: 0.9% of government spending in 2025United States: 8.3% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelIreland: 9,000 people in 2020United States: 1.4 million people in 2020
- National powerIreland: 0.05% of world capability in 2022United States: 12.36% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIreland: 0.37% of the labour force in 2020United States: 0.84% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIreland: 14 million TIV in 2025United States: 745 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIreland: 24 million TIV in 2025United States: 14 billion TIV in 2025
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, WHO/UNICEF, IHME, World Bank, IMF, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, EDGAR, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time