Ireland vs United Kingdom
United Kingdom is 3.47 times larger than Ireland. Ireland would fit into United Kingdom about 3.5 times.
IrelandUnited KingdomIreland moved onto United Kingdom · Equal-area projection
0.29×
Ireland is 0.29× the area of United Kingdom. Put the other way, United Kingdom is 3.47× the size of Ireland.
 Ireland |  United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited Kingdom: 3.47× the area | 69,797 km²#118 of 194 | 242,495 km²#78 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 1 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited Kingdom: 12.7× the population | 5,484,367#121 of 194 · 2025 | 69,487,000#22 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityUnited Kingdom: 3.65× the density | 79 / km²#106 of 194 | 287 / km²#31 of 194 |
| Urban populationUnited Kingdom: 1.29× the urban share | 65%#90 of 192 · 2025 | 83%#35 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateUnited Kingdom: 1.05× the births per woman | 1.47 per woman#141 of 192 · 2024 | 1.55 per woman#130 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIreland: 1.33 points higher | +1.63%#62 of 192 · 2025 | +0.30%#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAbout the same birth rate | 10.0 per 1,000#140 of 192 · 2024 | 9.9 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUnited Kingdom: 1.49× the death rate | 6.5 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 9.7 per 1,000#41 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Ireland: 1.1 points higher | 18.1%#127 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United Kingdom: 3.5 points higher | 16.2%#50 of 192 · 2025 | 19.7%#33 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIreland: 0.9 per 1,000 higher | +6.5 per 1,000#14 of 192 · 2025 | +5.6 per 1,000#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAbout as many refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIreland: 1.6 years longer | 83.0 years#18 of 192 · 2024 | 81.4 years#34 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityUnited Kingdom: 1.21× the infant mortality | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsIreland: 1.18× the doctors per person | 3.88 per 1,000#34 of 178 · 2023 | 3.30 per 1,000#53 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentUnited Kingdom: 1.04× the university enrolment | 77.6%#30 of 145 · 2022 | 80.4%#24 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexIreland: 0.003 higher | 0.949#10 of 190 · 2023 | 0.946#12 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIreland: 1.6× the income per person | $87,360#6 of 185 · 2025 | $54,550#19 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited Kingdom: 5.55× the economy | $721.7B2025 | $4T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Ireland: 2.4× the output per person | $155,089#3 of 184 · 2025 | $64,606#26 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthIreland: 10.9 points higher | +12.3%#3 of 187 · 2025 | +1.4%#145 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationUnited Kingdom: 1.7 points higher | +2.2%#113 of 176 · 2025 | +3.9%#60 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAbout the same unemployment | 4.6%#102 of 178 · 2025 | 4.7%#101 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyUnited Kingdom: 4.0× the share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)United Kingdom: 3.4 higher | 29.0#128 of 149 · 2023 | 32.4#99 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureIreland: 3.0 points higher | 3.9% of jobs#139 of 178 · 2025 | 0.9% of jobs#172 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryIreland: 2.3 points higher | 18.2% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 | 15.9% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited Kingdom: 5.3 points higher | 77.9% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 83.2% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentIreland: 9.5 points higher | 10.4% of GDP#16 of 184 · 2025 | 0.9% of GDP#136 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsIreland: 109.5 points higher | 140.1% of GDP#4 of 168 · 2025 | 30.6% of GDP#101 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingUnited Kingdom: 10.7× the military spending | 0.2% of GDP#150 of 155 · 2025 | 2.4% of GDP#45 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 97%#16 of 184 · 2024 | 96%#25 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsUnited Kingdom: 1.08× the mobile subscriptions | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 | 122 per 100#76 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUnited Kingdom: 1.13× the forest share | 12% of land#145 of 192 · 2024 | 14% of land#137 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIreland: 1.43× the CO₂ per person | 6.04 t a year#38 of 185 · 2024 | 4.22 t a year#57 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyIreland: 0.5 points higher | 12.7%#128 of 190 · 2021 | 12.2%#130 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)United Kingdom: 1.27× the air pollution | 7.5 µg/m³#170 of 191 · 2023 | 9.5 µg/m³#157 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landUnited Kingdom: 14.2 points higher | 14.2% of land#121 of 191 · 2025 | 28.4% of land#41 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landUnited Kingdom: 19.0 points higher | 6.3% of land#120 of 190 · 2024 | 25.3% of land#38 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUnited Kingdom: 1.78× the water stress | 8.1%#97 of 176 · 2022 | 14.4%#75 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationUnited Kingdom: 1.09× the rain and snow | 1,118 mm#83 of 180 · 2022 | 1,220 mm#73 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIreland: 0.46 higher | +0.75#53 of 193 · 2025 | +0.29#80 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited Kingdom: 0.02 higher | +1.51#18 of 193 · 2025 | +1.53#17 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateUnited Kingdom: 1.57× the homicide rate | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
| Member of | EU, Euro area, OECD | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Dublin | London |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Pound sterling (GBP) |
| Official languages | English, Irish | English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Scots, British Sign Language, Ulster Scots |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC, summer time UTC+1 | UTC, summer time UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +353 | +44 |
| Region | Northern Europe, Europe | Northern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Ireland sits at about 53° N and is stretched to 2.78× its true area; United Kingdom at 54° N is stretched to 2.9×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Ireland bigger than United Kingdom?
- No. Ireland is 3.47 times smaller than United Kingdom. Ireland covers 69,797 km² and United Kingdom covers 242,495 km².
- How many times does Ireland fit into United Kingdom?
- About 3.5 times: United Kingdom has 3.47× the area of Ireland.
- Why do Ireland and United Kingdom look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Ireland is drawn about 2.78× its true area there and United Kingdom about 2.9×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Ireland or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom: 69,487,000 people against 5,484,367. Density: Ireland 79 per km², United Kingdom 287 per km².
- Which is richer, Ireland or United Kingdom?
- By gross national income per person, Ireland: $87,360 against $54,550 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.6× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Ireland or United Kingdom?
- In Ireland: life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years, against 81.4 — 1.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Ireland and United Kingdom have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Ireland: parliamentary republic; United Kingdom: constitutional monarchy.