CNY
…
EUR
…
Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Ireland
70,273 km²
0.7% of largest
China is 136.57× larger than Ireland
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Ireland
0.4% OF LARGEST
5.48M
PEOPLE
China has 256.47× the population of Ireland
GDP
China
LARGEST
$19.5T
Ireland
3.7% OF LARGEST
$721.7B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Ireland
0.4% OF LARGEST
8.7K
TROOPS
China has 233.91× the active personnel of Ireland
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Ireland
0.8% OF LARGEST
26
AIRCRAFT
China has 126.35× the aircraft of Ireland
Naval Assets
China
Ireland
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Ireland
0.5% OF LARGEST
12.0
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Ireland
0.4% OF LARGEST
$12B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Ireland
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Ireland
$877.1B
Exports
$877.1B
Imports
$622.5B
Trade Balance
+$254.6B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Ireland
supply
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
Ireland
supply
China
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
Ireland
consumption
China
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
Ireland
supply
China
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Ireland
consumption
China
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Ireland
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
China
330
Gold
262
Silver
227
Bronze
819
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727
❄ Winter: 92
Ireland
15
Gold
10
Silver
18
Bronze
43
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 43
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
Ireland
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Ireland
38.2
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 0.8 years older (median) than Ireland
Youth Population
Ireland has the highest youth population at 40.4% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
Ireland
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
— |
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
— |
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
11
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
12
|
0
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
56
|
2
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
China
|
Ireland
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
N/A |
| Rent Index |
|
N/A |
| Groceries Index |
|
N/A |
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
N/A |
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
N/A |
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | N/A |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | N/A |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | N/A |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | N/A |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | N/A |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
Ireland
China
Physicians per 1,000
Ireland
China
Hospital beds per 1,000
China
Ireland
Diabetes prevalence
China
Ireland
Obesity prevalence
Ireland
China
Suicide rate per 100k
China
Ireland
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for China vs Ireland — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | China | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1406585000 | 5484367 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 70273 |
| Capital | Beijing | Dublin |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Irish, English |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Euro (EUR) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Unitary parliamentary republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 8,700 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 1,800 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 10,500 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $1,200,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 0 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 44 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 0 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 0 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 0 |
Economy
| Metric | China | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $19,498,039,388,043 | $721,701,359,046 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $13,862 | $131,592 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 36.0 | 29.0 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Euro (EUR) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 136.6 times larger in area than Ireland.
That's a massive difference!
China has 256.5 times more people than Ireland.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
Ireland has the highest GDP per capita at $131,592 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$19.5 trillion.
China has the largest active military personnel with 2,035,000 troops.
China has the largest air force with 3,285 aircraft.
China has the largest navy with 777 vessels.
China Fact: China produces more than 1.4 billion tons of rice annually, feeding nearly 20% of the world's population.
China vs Ireland: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $19.5T is 27.0x larger than Ireland's $722B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 256.5x larger than Ireland's 5M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 136.6x larger than Ireland.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Ireland's 8.7Thousand.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while Ireland runs a trade surplus of $255B.
Life Expectancy: Ireland leads with a life expectancy of 83 years vs China's 78.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology