Ireland
Europe · Northern Europe
English-speaking EU hub with a booming tech sector and a severe housing shortage in Dublin.
At a Glance
📈Ireland's Human Development Index
0.950
Very High human development#7 of 191 countries worldwide, #7 of 44 in Europe.
Higher than 97% of countries with data. UNDP Human Development Report.
UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita.
Closest indicators in this dataset
World Bank, own vintages. UNDP’s own component values are not carried here, so these are related measures rather than the index inputs.
Nearest countries by HDI
Full HDI ranking, all 191 countries →Ireland
Ireland is a green Atlantic island with a culture built on storytelling, music, and a deeply social relationship with language that makes it one of the most naturally welcoming places in the English-speaking world. The landscape of cliffs, bogs, stone walls, and castle ruins has an ancient, weather-beaten quality, and the towns and villages have a genuine warmth of pub culture and conversation. Those who connect with Celtic tradition, literature, and the particular Irish way of talking about everything will find it hard to leave.
- More US tech company European HQs than any other country.
- One of the most expensive countries in the EU for daily life.
- English became dominant only in the 19th century — Irish was the majority language before.
Quick Facts
Capital
Dublin
Languages
English, Irish
Currency
€ EUR
Area
68,890 km²
Nomad Hub
Fixed Broadband
208Mbps
Mobile
71Mbps
GDP / Capita
$132K
PPP / Capita
$155K
Inflation
2.2%
Unemployment
4.6%
Innovation (GII)
50.4
GNI / Capita
$87K
Tax Revenue
17.9%
FDI Inflows
0.8%
Education Spend
2.9%
Cost of Living
70.6
Price Level Index
11th pct
20-Year Trend + IMF Forecast
Income & inflation over time
HDI since 1990
0.743 → 0.950 (+0.207)Year by year →UNDP Human Development Report, 2023-24 edition. 33 annual values, none interpolated; hover any point for its year.
Twenty years here
Year by year →The world report →World Bank observations, first to last available year per indicator (roughly 2005–2024; each series has its own window).
Thinking about Ireland for real?
The matcher weighs your budget, timeline and dealbreakers against the same data on this page, then answers with the places that actually fit.
Find your match →Neighbouring Countries
Ireland head-to-head
💬Quick answers
What is Ireland's Human Development Index?
Ireland's Human Development Index is 0.950 (UNDP Human Development Report), ranked #7 of 191 countries.
Is Ireland safe?
Ireland scores 1.37 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #5 of 160 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.
How expensive is Ireland?
Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Ireland at 70.6 (New York = 100); that is #131 cheapest of 143 countries with data.
What is life expectancy in Ireland?
Life expectancy at birth in Ireland is 83.0 yrs (World Bank), ranked #19 of 195 countries.
What is the quality of life in Ireland?
Numbeo's quality-of-life index scores Ireland at 167.7, ranked #29 of 87 countries with data. It composites purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, commute and pollution from resident surveys, so it reflects what residents report rather than what an economy produces.