Ireland has a high literacy rate, currently at 99%, which is identical to that of the United States (Gale: Global Issues in Context). The literacy rate measures the percentage of people in a population who are able to proficiently read and write. The literacy rate in Ireland has not fluctuated much in recent years, as it was still at 99% in 2003. In 2008, the total education expenditures (amount of money spent on education) were at 4.9% of the total GDP. The US education expenditures that year were about 5.5% of GDP. Ireland’s education expenditures increased to 5.9% of the GDP in 2011.
The US’s GDP per capita was $53,041.98 in 2013 (Gale: Global Issues in Context). Ireland’s was close, at $50,503.42 in 2013. GDP per capita just refers to the value of the good/services that the average citizen generates in a year. Prior to the 2008-2009 financial crisis, Ireland’s GDP per capita was at $61,215.49 (2007) and during that same year, the US GDP per capita was $48,061.32. By 2010, it had fallen to $47,900.84 and since then has been on a gradual upward ascent.
In April 2015, Ireland’s unemployment rate was reported to be 9.7%, slightly higher than that of the US, which is around 5.5% (May 2015). The unemployment rate in the beginning of 2007 was about half the current rate, at 4.6% (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations). That being said, it has fallen significantly in comparison to November of 2010, when it reached a whopping 15%. In Ireland, average female life expectancy is 83.1 years and average male life expectancy is 78.4 years, which heart disease as the most common cause of death. In the United States, life expectancy for males is 77.3 years and 81.9 years is the female life expectancy.
In 2009, 5.5% of Ireland’s population was below the poverty line. This represents the percentage of people not generating the minimum amount of income for all living necessities. In 2010, 15.1% of US citizens were reported to be below the poverty line. In Ireland in 2010, the percentage of people below the poverty line was 6.2% (The BBC). Even though this is a slight increase from the rate in 2009, it is not large enough to be considered significant.
The US’s GDP per capita was $53,041.98 in 2013 (Gale: Global Issues in Context). Ireland’s was close, at $50,503.42 in 2013. GDP per capita just refers to the value of the good/services that the average citizen generates in a year. Prior to the 2008-2009 financial crisis, Ireland’s GDP per capita was at $61,215.49 (2007) and during that same year, the US GDP per capita was $48,061.32. By 2010, it had fallen to $47,900.84 and since then has been on a gradual upward ascent.
In April 2015, Ireland’s unemployment rate was reported to be 9.7%, slightly higher than that of the US, which is around 5.5% (May 2015). The unemployment rate in the beginning of 2007 was about half the current rate, at 4.6% (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations). That being said, it has fallen significantly in comparison to November of 2010, when it reached a whopping 15%. In Ireland, average female life expectancy is 83.1 years and average male life expectancy is 78.4 years, which heart disease as the most common cause of death. In the United States, life expectancy for males is 77.3 years and 81.9 years is the female life expectancy.
In 2009, 5.5% of Ireland’s population was below the poverty line. This represents the percentage of people not generating the minimum amount of income for all living necessities. In 2010, 15.1% of US citizens were reported to be below the poverty line. In Ireland in 2010, the percentage of people below the poverty line was 6.2% (The BBC). Even though this is a slight increase from the rate in 2009, it is not large enough to be considered significant.