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Ireland and Belgium

The same question asked of every column. Numbers that break down by age or sex follow the controls; the rest stay country-wide and say so.

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Ireland

Belgium

The widest gap is Take-home pay, average-wage worker: Ireland €47,027 against Belgium €36,414, 29.1% apart.

Ageall ages
Sex

One question per row

The faint tick on each bar is the EU27 figure.

Figure
Ireland
Belgium

People

Median age2.5 years
39.6 years
42.1 years
Life expectancy at birth0.7 years
83.1 years
82.4 years
People2.18×
5.4m
11.9m
People per square kilometre4.93×
79.2 per km²
390 per km²
Women in the population0.1 points
50.5%
50.6%
Born abroad3.1 points
23.3%
20.2%
Born outside the EU4.5 points
16.6%
12.1%

Money and work

Disposable income per person12.3%
€35,138
€31,299
Average net income17.1%
€39,666
€33,873
Take-home pay, average-wage worker29.1%
€47,027
€36,414
Gross pay, average-wage worker3.6%
€61,716
€59,544
Minimum wage7.0%
€2,391
€2,234
In work, age 20 to 647.4 points
80.2%
72.8%
Out of work1.5 points
4.7%
6.2%
Hours worked a week0.2 hours
36.3 hours
36.5 hours
At risk of poverty2.1 points
13.0%
10.9%
Housing costs over 40% of income1.4 points
5.3%
6.7%
GDP per person2.04×
€110,150
€53,930

Family and home

People at home22.7%
2.7
2.2
Households with children8.4 points
40.4%
32.0%
Children per woman2.1%
1.47
1.44
Own their home
70.9%
70.9%

Health and daily life

Hospital beds82.6%
293 per 100,000 people
534 per 100,000 people
Doctors22.0%
409 per 100,000 people
335 per 100,000 people

Education

With a degree11.2 points
58.7%
47.5%
Students per 1,000 people13.7%
53.0 per 1,000 people
46.6 per 1,000 people

Public spending

Public spending on them20.5%
€23,544
€28,373
Tax raised per person2.2%
€23,597
€24,108
Government debt75.0 points
32.9%
107.9%

Country and infrastructure

Land area2.28×
69,947 km²
30,667 km²
Railway density3.98×
29.8 per 1,000 km²
118.7 per 1,000 km²
Motorway density4×
14.5 per 1,000 km²
57.9 per 1,000 km²
Cars per 1,000 people8.0%
475 per 1,000 people
513 per 1,000 people
Households with internet0.8 points
95.5%
94.7%
Tourist nights per resident2.06×
7.79
3.79

Environment

Renewable energy2.3 points
17.2%
14.9%
Land under forest9.9 points
12.1%
22.0%

Where €100 of public spending goes

Every euro each general government spends, sorted into the ten functions all 27 countries report against. Open a row for the ranking of 27 and what sits inside it.

Ireland

Belgium

Function
Ireland
Belgium
8.9%
13.2%
0.7%
2.4%
3.3%
3.2%
9.3%
11.9%
1.9%
2.1%
2.7%
0.7%
23.2%
14.8%
1.8%
2.3%
12.0%
11.7%
36.4%
37.7%

Reference year 2024. Total public spending €100.00 in every column, so the ten shares always add up to one hundred.

Frequently asked: Ireland and Belgium

  1. Which is more crowded: Ireland or Belgium?

    The gap is 4.93×: Belgium 390, Ireland 79.2. People per square kilometre of that total area. Eurostat · Land area & People per square kilometre · 2026. See the figure

  2. Which spends a larger share of its budget on defence: Ireland or Belgium?

    The gap is 1.7 points: Belgium 2.4%, Ireland 0.7%. Armed forces, defence equipment, military aid abroad, and defence research. Eurostat · Public spending by function · 2024. See the figure

  3. Where is there more railway per 1,000 km²: Ireland or Belgium?

    The gap is 3.98×: Belgium 118.7, Ireland 29.8. Railway line in use for every 1,000 square kilometres of the country. Eurostat · Railway network & Railway density · 2024. See the figure

  4. Which government owes more: Ireland or Belgium?

    The gap is 75.0 points: Belgium 107.9%, Ireland 32.9%. Consolidated gross debt of the general government, against GDP. Eurostat · Government debt · 2025. See the figure

  5. Which covers more ground: Ireland or Belgium?

    The gap is 2.28×: Ireland 69,947, Belgium 30,667. Total area of the country, inland water included. Eurostat · Land area & People per square kilometre · 2026. See the figure

  6. Where is GDP per person higher: Ireland or Belgium?

    The gap is 2.04×: Ireland €110,150, Belgium €53,930. Gross domestic product at current market prices, divided by the population. Eurostat · GDP per person · 2025. See the figure

  7. Which has more forest: Ireland or Belgium?

    The gap is 9.9 points: Belgium 22.0%, Ireland 12.1%. Share of the land area under forest. Eurostat · Land under forest · 2025. See the figure

  8. Where are there more hospital beds per 100,000 people: Ireland or Belgium?

    The gap is 82.6%: Belgium 534, Ireland 293. Beds available in hospitals, per 100,000 residents. Eurostat · Hospital beds · 2025. See the figure

  9. Where do more households have children: Ireland or Belgium?

    The gap is 8.4 points: Ireland 40.4%, Belgium 32.0%. Share of private households with at least one dependent child. Eurostat · Households with children · 2025. See the figure

  10. Where do more adults hold a degree: Ireland or Belgium?

    The gap is 11.2 points: Ireland 58.7%, Belgium 47.5%. Share of adults whose highest completed education is a university or other tertiary degree. Eurostat · With a degree · 2025. See the figure

Medians where possible, per-capita averages for spending. This person is a composite of published statistics, not the most common person in the country.