Ireland is the second most expensive country in the European Union, according to new figures published today by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Prices for households here are 36.2% above the EU average, and only Denmark is dearer.
The same report shows Ireland leading Europe on education, growing faster than almost any other member state and living longer than most. It is a mixed picture, and how good it looks depends a lot on which country you compare Ireland with.
So we built a tool to do exactly that. Pick the country you live in below and see how it stacks up against Ireland on 14 official measures, from prices and jobs to life expectancy and STEM graduates. Living abroad? It is the quickest way to settle that argument about whether home is really more expensive.
Official CSO data · Measuring Ireland’s Progress 2026
How does your country compare with Ireland?
Pick where you live and go head to head with Ireland on 14 official measures, using the latest figures for all 27 EU countries.
Head to head
Highlighted figures are the better result. Measures marked with a dash have no better or worse answer. Tap any row to rank all 27 countries on it.
All 27 EU countries ranked
Tap a country in the ranking to compare it with Ireland.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Measuring Ireland’s Progress 2026 (published 20 October 2026), which compiles Eurostat data for all 27 EU member states. Each measure uses the latest year available (2024 or 2025). The UK is not included because it no longer appears in EU statistics. CSO statistical information is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Key Findings
- Irish prices are 36.2% above the EU average, the second highest in the EU after Denmark.
- Ireland has the highest share of young adults with a third-level qualification in the EU: 66.8% of 25 to 34 year olds, against an EU average of 44.8%.
- Ireland also produces more STEM graduates per person than any other EU country: 39.8 per 1,000 people aged 20 to 29.
- The population grew by 16.3% in ten years, the third fastest rate in the EU. Across the EU as a whole it grew by just 1.7%.
- Irish life expectancy is 83.1 years, sixth highest in the EU.
- Against the EU average, Ireland comes out ahead on 8 of the 10 measures in our tool that have a clear better or worse answer. The two it loses are prices and greenhouse gas emissions.
Ireland Is the EU’s Second Most Expensive Country
How Irish Prices Compare
The CSO’s price level measure compares what households pay for the same basket of goods and services in each country, adjusted so the EU average equals 100. It comes from Eurostat’s purchasing power parities programme. Ireland scored 136.2 in 2025.
That puts Ireland well ahead of most of Europe. Compared with a selection of other EU countries, Irish prices are:
- 18% higher than in the Netherlands
- 23% higher than in France
- 26% higher than in Germany
- 40% higher than in Italy
- 49% higher than in Spain
- 57% higher than in Portugal
- 86% higher than in Poland
Only Denmark, at 139.7, is more expensive. Luxembourg is third at 131.5, while Bulgaria is the cheapest country in the EU at 62.5. Irish prices are more than double Bulgaria’s. You can explore the full series in the CSO’s price level table (MIP02).
Visitors feel it too. If you are planning a trip home, our guides to finding cheap flights to Ireland and booking accommodation in Ireland can take some of the sting out. For a closer look at day-to-day costs, see our comparison of the cost of living in Ireland and the US.
Prices Are Still Rising
The ranking measures price levels, not how fast prices are changing. On that second measure, Ireland actually did better than most. Irish inflation on the EU’s harmonised measure was 2.0% in 2025, the sixth lowest in the EU, against an EU average of 2.5%, according to the economy chapter of the report.
More recent figures are less comforting. The CSO’s Consumer Price Index for September 2026 put annual inflation at 4.1%, with the biggest rise in housing, water, electricity and gas costs (up 9.5% in a year). Our coverage of the 42% jump in wholesale electricity prices and the October fuel allowance explains what that means for household bills.
Where Ireland Leads Europe
Education and Skills
Ireland tops two of the EU’s education rankings outright:
- Third-level education: 66.8% of people aged 25 to 34 hold a third-level qualification, the highest in the EU. Luxembourg is second at 65.0%, and Romania is lowest at 23.0%. See the CSO table (MIP42).
- STEM graduates: Ireland produced 39.8 science, technology, engineering and maths graduates for every 1,000 people aged 20 to 29 in 2024, ahead of Finland at 32.9 and far above the EU average of 23.0. See the CSO table (MIP09).
Those numbers are a useful backdrop to stories like OpenAI’s move into the Dublin Docklands. If you would rather put your own skills to work, see our guide to starting a business in Ireland.
Population Growth
Ireland’s population reached 5,440,278 in 2025, up 16.3% in ten years. Only Malta (30.9%) and Luxembourg (21.1%) grew faster. Across the EU the population rose by 1.7%, and Bulgaria (-8.4%) and Croatia (-7.3%) shrank. The figures are in the CSO’s European population table (MIP20).
Births are holding up better here than in most of Europe too. Ireland’s fertility rate of 1.47 children per woman is the fourth highest in the EU, against an EU average of 1.34. If you are expecting, our list of the most popular Irish baby names for 2026 is a good place to start.
Health and Long Lives
Irish life expectancy at birth reached 83.1 years in 2024. That is sixth highest in the EU and 1.6 years above the EU average of 81.5. Spain tops the table at 84.0 years, while Bulgaria is lowest at 75.8.
Where Ireland Falls Behind
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Ireland emitted 10.0 tonnes of greenhouse gases per person in 2024, the second highest in the EU after Luxembourg (11.1 tonnes) and well above the EU average of 6.7. Emissions are falling, as our breakdown of the latest EPA figures shows, but Ireland still has a long way to go. Our report on petrol and home heating oil use shows how fuel habits are changing.
Jobs: Good, but Not the Best
Ireland’s labour market is strong by EU standards without leading the table:
- Unemployment: 4.7% in 2025, below the EU average of 6.0% and tenth lowest in the EU. Czechia has the lowest rate (2.8%) and Spain the highest (10.5%).
- Employment: 74.6% of people aged 15 to 64 are in work, tenth highest in the EU and above the EU average of 71.0%. The Netherlands leads at 82.3%.
- Long-term unemployment: 1.1%, down from 5.3% in 2015 and below the EU average of 1.9%.
Living Standards
After social transfers such as pensions and welfare payments, 13.0% of people in Ireland were at risk of poverty in 2025. That is the fifth lowest rate in the EU and below the EU average of 16.3%. Czechia has the lowest rate at 9.6%.
Ireland’s GDP per person, adjusted for prices, is 238% of the EU average, second only to Luxembourg. That figure is heavily inflated by multinational companies, so the CSO also publishes modified gross national income (GNI*), which strips out much of that effect. On that measure Ireland sits at 132% of the EU average. Our look at Ireland’s national debt and the growth in services exports explains more about how the economy is measured.
Ireland’s Rank on Every Measure
The table below shows where Ireland ranks among the 27 EU countries on each measure in our tool, and which country leads.
| Measure | Year | Ireland | EU average | Ireland’s rank | Highest in the EU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price level (EU average = 100) | 2025 | 136.2 | 100.0 | 2nd highest | Denmark (139.7) |
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | 2024 | 83.1 | 81.5 | 6th highest | Spain (84.0) |
| Unemployment rate | 2025 | 4.7% | 6.0% | 10th lowest | Spain (10.5%) |
| Employment rate (ages 15 to 64) | 2025 | 74.6% | 71.0% | 10th highest | Netherlands (82.3%) |
| Long-term unemployment | 2025 | 1.1% | 1.9% | 7th lowest | Greece (5.0%) |
| At risk of poverty (after social transfers) | 2025 | 13.0% | 16.3% | 5th lowest | Lithuania (22.6%) |
| Third-level educated (ages 25 to 34) | 2025 | 66.8% | 44.8% | Highest | Ireland (66.8%) |
| STEM graduates (per 1,000 aged 20 to 29) | 2024 | 39.8 | 23.0 | Highest | Ireland (39.8) |
| Homes with internet access | 2025 | 95.5% | 94.8% | 10th highest | Netherlands (99.3%) |
| Greenhouse gas emissions per person (tonnes CO2e) | 2024 | 10.0 | 6.7 | 2nd highest | Luxembourg (11.1) |
| Fertility rate (births per woman) | 2024 | 1.47 | 1.34 | 4th highest | Bulgaria (1.72) |
| Average age of first-time mothers (years) | 2024 | 31.2 | 29.9 | 4th highest | Italy (31.9) |
| Population growth over 10 years | 2025 | +16.3% | +1.7% | 3rd highest | Malta (+30.9%) |
| Cars per 1,000 people | 2025 | 475 | 584 | 4th lowest | Italy (709) |
Ireland vs Other EU Countries
Here is how Ireland compares with a selection of other EU countries on five of the measures.
| Country | Price level (EU = 100) | Life expectancy | Unemployment | At risk of poverty | Third-level educated (25 to 34) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 136.2 | 83.1 | 4.7% | 13.0% | 66.8% |
| Germany | 108.3 | 81.2 | 3.8% | 16.1% | 40.9% |
| France | 110.3 | 83.0 | 7.7% | 16.3% | 55.8% |
| Spain | 91.6 | 84.0 | 10.5% | 19.5% | 52.5% |
| Italy | 97.1 | 83.7 | 6.1% | 18.6% | 31.1% |
| Netherlands | 115.6 | 81.9 | 3.9% | 13.4% | 56.1% |
| Portugal | 86.6 | 82.5 | 6.0% | 15.4% | 42.5% |
| Poland | 73.3 | 78.5 | 3.1% | 13.2% | 45.2% |
| Denmark | 139.7 | 82.0 | 6.4% | 11.8% | 52.5% |
| EU average | 100.0 | 81.5 | 6.0% | 16.3% | 44.8% |
The pattern is clear. Ireland is far more expensive than Spain, Italy, Portugal and Poland, but it beats most of them on unemployment, education and poverty rates. Spain and Italy do live longer. Against Denmark and the Netherlands, Ireland still wins on life expectancy and education, but Denmark has a lower poverty rate and the Netherlands lower unemployment.
If the numbers have you thinking about a move, our guides to the best places to live in Ireland and retiring to Ireland from the US cover the practical side. Comparing north and south? Read our explainer on Northern Ireland vs Ireland. Northern Ireland is not part of these figures, which cover EU member states only.
About the Data
All figures come from official statistics:
- Main source: CSO, Measuring Ireland’s Progress 2026, published on 20 October 2026, which compiles Eurostat data for all 27 EU member states.
- Headline findings: Key findings chapter and economy chapter.
- Country data: the release’s PxStat datasets MIP01, MIP02, MIP07, MIP09, MIP11, MIP12, MIP20, MIP22, MIP23, MIP27, MIP31, MIP35, MIP37, MIP40 and MIP42.
- Recent inflation: CSO Consumer Price Index, September 2026.
Each measure uses the latest year available, either 2024 or 2025. Where two countries have the same value they share a rank. The UK is not included because it no longer appears in EU statistics, and Northern Ireland is covered by UK figures rather than EU ones.
CSO statistical information is published under a Creative Commons Attribution licence, as set out in the CSO copyright policy.
Data last updated: October 2026.
Ireland vs EU FAQ
Is Ireland the most expensive country in the EU?
No, but it is close. Ireland’s price level is 36.2% above the EU average, the second highest in the EU. Denmark is the most expensive, at 39.7% above average.
How much more expensive is Ireland than Spain?
Irish household prices are about 49% higher than Spanish prices, based on the 2025 price level figures (136.2 for Ireland against 91.6 for Spain).
Which EU country is the cheapest?
Bulgaria has the lowest price level in the EU, at 62.5 against an EU average of 100. Romania is next at 65.1.
Does Ireland have the most graduates in Europe?
Yes, among EU countries. 66.8% of people in Ireland aged 25 to 34 have a third-level qualification, the highest share in the EU. Ireland also has the most STEM graduates per person.
How fast is Ireland’s population growing?
Ireland’s population grew by 16.3% in the ten years to 2025, reaching 5,440,278. Only Malta and Luxembourg grew faster.
What is the life expectancy in Ireland?
Life expectancy at birth in Ireland was 83.1 years in 2024, sixth highest in the EU and 1.6 years above the EU average.
Is Ireland’s unemployment rate low?
Yes. Ireland’s unemployment rate was 4.7% in 2025, below the EU average of 6.0% and tenth lowest of the 27 EU countries.