Hardly a day goes by when some think thank, charity or multinational bureaucratic body doesn’t rate Ireland’s performance in some poll or another. The proliferation of online data mixed with the average media consumer’s insatiable taste for bite-sized lists mean polls hold the potential to make headlines.
Who cares about context when the possibility that little old Ireland could be deemed the best or (even better) the worst at something when compared to our global peers? At least they’re paying attention to us, right?
Many different polls have cast their unforgiving glare in Ireland’s direction, and with the numbers crunched and figures finessed, we’re left we an idea of what kind of state we find our state in. So here’s a recent look at Ireland by numbers:
Ireland comes 37 out of 41 for child poverty.
Ireland is fourth in the OECD for alcohol consumption.
Ireland is eighth in the world for having the smallest gender gap.
[Jakub Marian]
In the OECD, Ireland has the fifth highest number of nurses per capita.
In the OECD, Ireland has the 24th highest number of doctors per capita.
Ireland is the best place in the world to do business.
[Jakub Marian]
The Irish accent is the sexiest in the world.
Ireland has the highest birth rate in the EU.
Ireland ranks number four in adulterers and cheaters.
Ireland is fourth in the OECD for tobacco consumption.
[Jakub Marian]
Ireland has the cheapest water charges in Europe.
Ireland comes 20th in the OECD for the quality of its water.
Ireland is sixth in the world for its beer consumption.
Ireland has the second-highest number of low-paying jobs.
Ireland has the third-highest number of lung-disease deaths.
Ireland has the safest railways in the EU by fatalities.
[Jakub Marian]
In the OECD, the Irish come 20th for life satisfaction.
In the OECD, Irish murderers are the 15th most prolific.
Ireland is the best country in the world.
