Land Area
United Kingdom
243,610 km²
Largest
Ireland
70,273 km²
28.8% of largest
United Kingdom is 3.47× larger than Ireland
Population
United Kingdom
LARGEST
67.89M
PEOPLE
Ireland
7.3% OF LARGEST
4.94M
PEOPLE
United Kingdom has 13.75× the population of Ireland
GDP
United Kingdom
LARGEST
$3.13T
Ireland
15.2% OF LARGEST
$476.66B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
United Kingdom
LARGEST
153.29K
TROOPS
Ireland
5.7% OF LARGEST
8.7K
TROOPS
United Kingdom has 17.62× the active personnel of Ireland
Air Force
United Kingdom
LARGEST
733
AIRCRAFT
Ireland
3.5% OF LARGEST
26
AIRCRAFT
United Kingdom has 28.19× the aircraft of Ireland
Naval Assets
United Kingdom
Ireland
Wealth
Gold Reserves
United Kingdom
LARGEST
310.3
Metric Tonnes
Ireland
3.9% OF LARGEST
12.0
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
United Kingdom
LARGEST
$149B
Reserves · excl. gold
Ireland
8.1% OF LARGEST
$12B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
United Kingdom
MOST
165
billionaires
Ireland
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
United Kingdom
LARGEST
2.5
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
United Kingdom
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.8M b/d
Consumption
1.5M b/d
−0.8M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
Ireland
$877.1B
Exports
$877.1B
Imports
$622.5B
Trade Balance
+$254.6B
Trade Surplus
United Kingdom
$1,142.1B
Exports
$1,142.1B
Imports
$1,174.2B
Trade Balance
$-32.1B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Ireland
supply
United Kingdom
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
United Kingdom
consumption
Ireland
supply
Beer
litres / person / yr
Ireland
consumption
United Kingdom
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
United Kingdom
consumption
Ireland
supply
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
United Kingdom
consumption
Ireland
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
Ireland
United Kingdom
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
United Kingdom
320
Gold
348
Silver
362
Bronze
1,030
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 991
❄ Winter: 39
Ireland
15
Gold
10
Silver
18
Bronze
43
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 43
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Ireland
United Kingdom
Age Demographics
Median Age
United Kingdom
40.6
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Ireland
38.2
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
United Kingdom is 2.4 years older (median) than Ireland
Youth Population
Ireland has the highest youth population at 40.4% (under 30)
Elderly Population
United Kingdom has the highest elderly population at 23.4% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Ireland
|
United Kingdom
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations | — |
188
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year | — |
37.0M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time | — |
138
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide | — |
8
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
Ireland
|
United Kingdom
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index | N/A |
|
| Rent Index | N/A |
|
| Groceries Index | N/A |
|
| Restaurant Price Index | N/A |
|
| Local Purchasing Power | N/A |
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | N/A | $15 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | N/A | $65 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | N/A | $1,500 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | N/A | $1,100 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | N/A | $190 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | N/A | $35 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | N/A | $85 |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | Ireland | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4937786 | 67886000 |
| Area (sq km) | 70273 | 243610 |
| Capital | Dublin | London |
| Official Language | Irish, English | English |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Pound Sterling (GBP) |
| Government Type | Unitary parliamentary republic | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Military Strength
| Metric | Ireland | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 8,700 | 153,290 |
| Reserve Personnel | 1,800 | 81,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 10,500 | 234,790 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $1,200,000,000 | $68,400,000,000 |
| Tanks | 0 | 227 |
| Armored Vehicles | 44 | 5,015 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 0 | 89 |
| Towed Artillery | 0 | 126 |
| Rocket Projectors | 0 | 44 |
Economy
| Metric | Ireland | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $476,660,000,000 | $3,131,000,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $96,550 | $46,200 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 5.3% | 3.8% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 32.8 | 35.1 |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Pound Sterling (GBP) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| Ireland Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 1.1606 Stronger |
| United Kingdom Currency | 0.8616 Weaker | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | EUR | GBP |
| 1 USD equals | 0.8802 EUR Updated: 2026-06-27 | 0.7584 GBP Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
United Kingdom is 3.5 times larger in area than Ireland.
United Kingdom has 13.7 times more people than Ireland.
Ireland has the highest GDP per capita at $96,550 among the selected countries.
United Kingdom has the largest economy with a GDP of
$3.13 trillion.
United Kingdom has the largest active military personnel with 153,290 troops.
United Kingdom has the largest air force with 733 aircraft.
United Kingdom has the largest navy with 76 vessels.
UK Fact: The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, opening in 1863.
Ireland vs United Kingdom: Key Comparisons
Economy: United Kingdom's GDP of $3.1T is 6.6x larger than Ireland's $477B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: United Kingdom's population of 68M is 13.7x larger than Ireland's 5M.
Area: United Kingdom covers 243,610 km², making it 3.5x larger than Ireland.
Military: United Kingdom fields 150Thousand active troops vs Ireland's 8.7Thousand.
Trade: Ireland runs a trade surplus of $255B while United Kingdom has a trade deficit of $32B.
Life Expectancy: Ireland leads with a life expectancy of 82 years vs United Kingdom's 81.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology