Ireland

Ireland

Northern Europe

EuropeEU
78
Overall score
Strong overall
Language
English
Currency
EUR
Citizenship
5 years
Personal tax
20% / 40% + USC + PRSI
Cost of living
€2,300 / mo (single)

English-speaking EU member and the European HQ of choice for global tech, with a famous 12.5% corporate rate, but a high cost of living and acute housing shortage.

Pros

  • English-speaking EU
  • 12.5% corporate tax
  • Easy ancestry citizenship route

Cons

  • Severe housing crisis
  • High personal taxes
  • Not in Schengen

Best for

Founders & multinationalsEnglish speakersPeople of Irish descent

Score profile

Status & mobility
Passport
95
Citizenship
75
Residence
78
Money & business
Taxes
58
Corporate tax
64
Business
64
Investment
56
Economy
90
Wealth building
66
Living, study & work
Education
81
Salary & work
79
Cost of living
33
Buying power
77
Quality of life
Safety
83
Healthcare
89
Infrastructure
81
HDI
95

Status & mobility

Passport

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any travel or visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Passport power
Excellent
95

Passport-index style mobility for the Ireland passport. The score above is its world reach: the share of 198 destinations reachable without a prior visa.

189 / 198
Mobility
#6
Global rank
Yes
Biometric
  • Visa-free142
  • On arrival38
  • eTA9
  • Visa required9

Passport Index style mobility data (2024–2025 estimate). Placeholder figures; verify current entry rules with each destination’s authority before travelling.

Citizenship

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any citizenship decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Citizenship accessibility
Good
75
Years required5 (of last 9, incl. 1 continuous)
Dual allowedtrue
LanguageNone
Residence5 reckonable years; citizenship by descent if a grandparent was Irish
NotesForeign Births Register lets those with an Irish grandparent claim citizenship without residing.
Residence

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any residence / visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Openness to residents
Good
78
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines how international the population already is (migrant stock at 45%), governance quality (regulatory quality at 25%), and the curated residence-pathway signal (30%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Migrant stock23.1% of population (2024)
Regulatory quality1.79 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main pathways
Critical Skills PermitGeneral Employment PermitSTEP startupStamp 0/4
StudentStamp 2; 20 hrs/week term-time, 40 hrs in holidays.
WorkCritical Skills Permit fast-tracks to Stamp 4 after 2 years.
Self-employedStart-up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP) needs €50k funding.
PermanentLong-term residence (Stamp 4) after ~5 years legal stay.

Money & business

Taxes

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Tax friendliness
Moderate
58
Personal20% then 40%, plus USC (up to 8%) and PRSI (4%)
Corporate12.5% trading income; 15% top-up for large MNEs (Pillar Two)
Capital gains33%
DividendsTaxed at marginal rate + USC/PRSI
Exit taxYes: deemed disposal on emigration for certain assets
Foreign cosCFC rules apply since 2019
Personal tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Personal tax
Low
27
Personal20% then 40%, plus USC (up to 8%) and PRSI (4%)
FreelanceSole trader registration simple; contracting market strong
Capital gains33%
DividendsTaxed at marginal rate + USC/PRSI
Exit taxYes: deemed disposal on emigration for certain assets
Corporate tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Corporate tax
Moderate
64
Corporate12.5% trading income; 15% top-up for large MNEs (Pillar Two)
Capital gains33%
DividendsTaxed at marginal rate + USC/PRSI
Foreign cosCFC rules apply since 2019
Business
Business friendliness
Moderate
64
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score leans on the two things founders ask about most: the tax burden (headline corporate rate at 20%, broader tax friendliness at 15%, and freedom from exit-tax / CFC rules at 10%) plus the regulatory and bureaucratic environment (regulatory quality 15%, government effectiveness 15%), on top of the curated company-rules signal (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the values are shown below.

Regulation & bureaucracy
Regulatory quality1.79 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Government effectiveness1.61 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rules & taxes
Foreign co.Yes: 100% foreign ownership permitted
Local co.Private LTD in days; one EEA-resident director or a bond
FreelanceSole trader registration simple; contracting market strong
Corporate tax12.5% trading income; 15% top-up for large MNEs (Pillar Two)
Capital gains33%
Exit taxYes: deemed disposal on emigration for certain assets
Foreign cosCFC rules apply since 2019
Investment

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any investment / tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Investing environment
Moderate
56
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score is mostly the investor-tax signal (capital-gains treatment, broker access, wealth tax, and ETF or other taxes on investment, 70%), lightly contextualised by equity-market depth (market cap / GDP at 18%) and credit depth (domestic credit to the private sector / GDP at 12%). Available indicators are reweighted.

Market cap28% of GDP (2018)
Private credit24% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capital gains33% CGT; €1,270 annual exemption; 41% 'deemed disposal' on ETFs every 8 yrs
DividendsData not available yet
ETFs & fundsData not available yet
Wealth taxNone
BrokersGood: DEGIRO, Interactive Brokers, Trade Republic
Foreign accessData not available yet
Tax-advantagedData not available yet
Economy
Economic strength
Excellent
90
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines income level (GDP and GNI per capita, output per worker), growth momentum (real GDP growth), price stability (inflation) and labour utilisation (unemployment). Available indicators are reweighted; the sector split and industry profile below are descriptive, not scored.

Output & income
GDP$609.2B (2024)
GDP / person$112,895 (2024)
GNI / person$101,180 PPP (2024)
GDP growth2.6% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Stability & labour
Inflation2.1% / yr (2024)
Unemployment4.6% (2025)
Output per worker$234,913 PPP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Sector composition
Agriculture1.0% of GDP (2024)
Industry33.6% of GDP (2024)
Services60.6% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main industries
Pharmaceuticals & medtechInformation technologyFinancial servicesFood & agribusiness
Top exports
PharmaceuticalsMedical devicesSoftware & IT servicesChemicals
TypeHigh-income, services- and FDI-led
Key sectorsMultinational tech & pharma hubs, Aircraft leasing, Agri-food
SummaryA small, open economy and major hub for US multinationals in tech, pharma and finance.
CurrencyEuro (eurozone member)
Wealth building

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax / investment decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Wealth accumulation
Good
66
How this score is calculated

How favourable Ireland is for building wealth: earnings and business/investment upside, tax drag, and how much a typical income keeps after living costs. Estimated from the factors below.

Salary & work
Excellent
84
Business
Good
69
Investment
Good
72
Tax friendliness
Moderate
58
Cost of living
Limited
33

Living, study & work

Education
Education score
Excellent
81
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines attainment (expected schooling at 30% and mean schooling at 25%) with participation (tertiary enrolment at 25%) and public investment (government education spending at 20%). Available indicators are reweighted; tuition and study rules remain separate profile fields below.

Attainment
Expected schooling19.2 years (2023)
Mean schooling11.7 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Participation & investment
Tertiary enrolment78% gross (2022)
Education spending2.9% of GDP (2021)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Tuition€3,000 (EU 'free fees') – €25,000 (non-EU)
Public uniEU students pay the ~€3,000 student contribution
LanguagesEnglish
Student work20 hrs/week during term, 40 hrs in holidays
Salary & work
Labour-market strength
Good
79
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines output per worker (a proxy for wage potential at 40%), unemployment (35%) and labour-force participation (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the curated profile fields remain below.

Output per worker$234,913 PPP (2024)
Unemployment4.6% (2025)
Participation64.8% of 15+ (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Mean monthly earnings of employees
Overall$4,109 · $4,305 PPP (2024)
Tech (IT & comms)$8,163 · $8,551 PPP (2024)

Source: ILOSTAT (International Labour Organization)

FreelanceStrong contracting around Dublin's tech cluster
Job marketGoogle, Meta, Stripe, Microsoft EU bases; English-only roles common.
Cost of living
Affordability
Limited
33

Our 0–100 affordability score is derived from the local consumer price level (World Bank, US = 100): the cheaper everyday prices are, the higher it scores. Lower price level means your money goes further here.

Price level95 (US = 100) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rent€1,800–2,600 (1BR Dublin)
Monthly€2,300
CitiesDublin, Cork, Galway
Buying power
Purchasing power score
Good
77
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score estimates how far money goes for the typical person here. It combines GNI per capita at PPP (30%) and actual household consumption per person at PPP (15%) with a price-advantage term from the local price level (25%) that rewards lower prices, then adjusts for income equality via the Gini index (20%), so unequal economies don't ride a high average, plus price stability via consumer inflation (10%). Available indicators are reweighted; it is a comparison, not a personal budget estimate.

GNI / person$101,180 PPP (2024)
Consumption / person$28,541 PPP (2023)
Price level95 (US = 100) (2024)
Income inequality29.0 Gini (2023)
Inflation2.1% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Quality of life

Safety
Safety & stability
Excellent
83
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines personal safety (intentional homicide rate at 35%), institutional quality (rule of law at 25% and control of corruption at 20%), and political stability and absence of violence (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below. Always check current government travel and security advice before relocating.

Personal safety
Homicide rate0.7 per 100,000 (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Institutions & stability
Rule of law1.59 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Control of corruption1.57 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Political stability0.71 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Healthcare
Healthcare score
Excellent
89
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines health outcomes (life expectancy at 25% and under-5 mortality at 20%) with system capacity (physicians at 20% and hospital beds at 15% per 1,000 people) and health spending per capita (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Outcomes
Life expectancy83.0 years (2024)
Under-5 mortality3.9 per 1,000 births (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capacity & resourcing
Physicians3.88 per 1,000 (2023)
Hospital beds2.96 per 1,000 (2023)
Health spending$8,772 PPP / person (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

System & costs
SystemPublic (HSE) + large private sector
InsurancePublic access for residents; private insurance common for speed
Avg cost€1,200–2,000 / yr private cover
Infrastructure
Infrastructure score
Excellent
81
How this score is calculated

The score combines digital access, resilience and download performance (30%), electricity access and network losses (30%), and transport infrastructure covering rail, logistics and aviation (40%). Available inputs are reweighted, but a country needs both digital and transport data to receive a score.

Digital infrastructure
Internet use97.2% (2024)
Internet resilience76 / 100 (2026)
Fixed speed89 / 100 download index (2026)
Mobile speed66 / 100 download index (2026)

Sources: World Bank World Development Indicators · Internet Society Pulse Internet Resilience Index

Utilities
Electricity access100.0% (2023)
Grid losses8.2% of output (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Transport
Transport quality3.50 / 5 (2022)
Rail density24.0 km / 1,000 km² (2021)
Air connectivity205,458 departures / million people (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

HDI
Human development score
Excellent
95
How this score is calculated

The UN Human Development Index is the geometric mean of three dimension indices (a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living), shown on a 0–100 map scale (HDI × 100). The 2023 UNDP inputs behind each dimension are listed below.

HDI0.949 (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Long & healthy life
Life expectancy82.4 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Knowledge
Expected schooling19.2 years (2023)
Mean schooling11.7 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Standard of living
GNI / person$90,885 PPP (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Resources

Mock data for demonstration only. Not legal or tax advice.