Quality of Life Comparison


If you lived in Ireland instead of Palau, you would:


live 7.5 years longer

In Palau, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women). In Ireland, that number is 81 years (79 years for men, 83 years for women).

be 54.2% less likely to be obese

In Palau, 55.3% of adults are obese. In Ireland, that number is 25.3% of people.


make 4.7 times more money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $16,200, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $75,500.

be 3.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In Palau, 1.7% of adults are unemployed. In Ireland, that number is 6.4%.


be 66.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Palau, approximately 10.6 children die before they reach the age of one. In Ireland, on the other hand, 3.6 children do.

have 24.8% more children

In Palau, there are approximately 11.3 babies per 1,000 people. In Ireland, there are 14.1 babies per 1,000 people.

Basic Needs

be 69.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In Palau, 59% of the population has electricity access. In Ireland, 100% of the population do.

be 2.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Palau, approximately 36.0% of the population has internet access. In Ireland, about 82.2% do.


spend 13.3% less on healthcare

Palau spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare. In Ireland, that number is 7.8% of GDP.

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.

How big is Ireland compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.



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