Ireland vs Switzerland

Ireland and Switzerland compared on 10 key figures from official sources. Each value is the latest one published for that country, so the year is shown with it.

• Switzerland has about 1.7 times as many people as Ireland: 9.1 million against 5.5 million in 2025.
• GDP per person in Ireland ($131,592) is 15% higher than in Switzerland ($114,769) in 2025.
• The economy grew faster in Ireland (12.3%) than in Switzerland (1.3%), a difference of 11 percentage points in 2025.
• Consumer prices rose faster in Ireland (2.2%) than in Switzerland (0.2%), a difference of 2 percentage points in 2025.
• The unemployment rate was higher in Switzerland (4.9%) than in Ireland (4.6%), a difference of 0.3 percentage points in 2025.
• A baby born in Switzerland can expect to live 1.4 years longer than one born in Ireland: 84.4 years against 83 years in 2024.
• The population of Switzerland is older: half of its people are over 42.3 years, against 38.4 years in Ireland in 2023.
• A larger share of people used the internet in Switzerland (97.3% in 2025) than in Ireland (97.2% in 2024), a difference of 0.1 percentage points.
• CO2 emissions per person in Ireland (6 tonnes) are 62% higher than in Switzerland (3.7 tonnes) in 2024.
• Forest covers a larger share of the land in Switzerland (32%) than in Ireland (12%), a difference of 20 percentage points in 2024.