Ireland vs Republic of Korea: Government health spending as a share of GDP
Ireland
4.7%
in 2025
Republic of Korea
5.0%
in 2025
Ireland rank
44th
Republic of Korea rank
41st
Government health spending as a share of GDP over time
- Ireland
- Republic of Korea
How they compare
Republic of Korea currently reports 5.0% against 4.7% in Ireland, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Ireland ahead.
Ireland ranks 44th and Republic of Korea ranks 41st of 59 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 5 and Republic of Korea in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | Republic of Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.8% | 0.3% | 4.5% | Ireland |
| 1980s | 5.2% | 0.9% | 4.3% | Ireland |
| 1990s | 4.4% | 1.5% | 2.9% | Ireland |
| 2000s | 5.9% | 2.5% | 3.4% | Ireland |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 3.7% | 2.5% | Ireland |
| 2020s | 4.9% | 5.1% | 0.2% | Republic of Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government health spending as a share of gdp, Ireland or Republic of Korea?
- Republic of Korea, at 5.0% against 4.7% in Ireland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in government health spending as a share of gdp between Ireland and Republic of Korea?
- 0.3%, with Republic of Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and Republic of Korea?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Ireland and Republic of Korea rank globally for government health spending as a share of gdp?
- Ireland ranks 44th and Republic of Korea ranks 41st of 59 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2026); OECD (1993); Lindert (1994) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Government health spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Public health expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.