---
title: "Ireland vs South Korea — area, population, currency"
description: "Ireland is 70,273 km² with 5,484,367 people; South Korea is 99,720 km² with 51,684,564. Area, density, currency, languages and time zones side by side."
url: https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/ireland-vs-south-korea/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Ireland vs South Korea

**Ireland vs South Korea: South Korea is larger; South Korea has more people**

70,273 km² vs 99,720 km² · 5,484,367 vs 51,684,564

South Korea is 1.4 times larger than Ireland — 99,720 against 70,273 km². South Korea is 9.4 times more populous than Ireland — 51,684,564 against 5,484,367 people.

## Side by side

|  | Ireland | South Korea |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital | Dublin | Seoul |
| Area | 70,273 km² | 99,720 km² |
| Population | 5,484,367 (2025) | 51,684,564 (2025) |
| Density | 78.0 /km² | 518.3 /km² |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | South Korean won (KRW) |
| Official languages | English, Irish | Korean |
| Time zones | UTC+00:00 | UTC+09:00 |
| Calling code | +353 | +82 |
| Drives on the | left | right |
| Continent | Europe | Asia |
| ISO codes | IE / IRL | KR / KOR |

## Population density

South Korea is 6.6 times more densely populated than Ireland — 518 against 78 people per km². Density is where area and population interact, and it often reverses the impression the headline figures give — a large country with a small population can feel emptier than a small crowded one by an enormous margin.

## Practical differences

- They drive on opposite sides — Ireland on the left, South Korea on the right.
- Different currencies: the Euro and the South Korean won.
- Different continents — Europe and Asia.

## Ireland

The interior is a low limestone plain ringed by coastal mountains, which is why the rivers drain inward and the middle of the country is bog. The Cliffs of Moher run 14 km and reach 214 m. Ireland has no native snakes, and only one native reptile.

## South Korea

About seventy percent mountain, so the population is packed into the valleys and coastal plains; the Seoul metropolitan area holds roughly half the country. Jeju Island is a shield volcano whose lava tube system is among the finest in the world. South Korea has the fastest average internet connections of any large country.

> Neutral facts only. Nothing here addresses politics, government, economics or which country is preferable in any respect — population is the one figure that dates, and it carries its year.

## Common questions

### Is Ireland bigger than South Korea?

South Korea is larger — 99,720 km² against 70,273 km².

### Which has more people, Ireland or South Korea?

South Korea, with 51,684,564 against 5,484,367.

### What is the time difference between Ireland and South Korea?

Ireland is UTC+00:00 and South Korea is UTC+09:00. Daylight saving shifts the gap during the year in places that observe it.

## Related pages

- [Ireland](https://atoneplace.net/country/ireland/)
- [South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country/south-korea/)
- [India vs South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/india-vs-south-korea/)
- [India vs Ireland](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/india-vs-ireland/)
- [China vs South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/china-vs-south-korea/)
- [China vs Ireland](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/china-vs-ireland/)
- [Japan vs South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/japan-vs-south-korea/)
- [Canada vs South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/canada-vs-south-korea/)
- [Canada vs Ireland](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/canada-vs-ireland/)
- [Australia vs South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/australia-vs-south-korea/)
- [Australia vs Ireland](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/australia-vs-ireland/)
- [New Zealand vs South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/new-zealand-vs-south-korea/)
- [France vs South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/france-vs-south-korea/)
- [France vs Ireland](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/france-vs-ireland/)

## Sources

- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/) [Public domain (US Government)]
- World Bank Open Data — The World Bank (https://data.worldbank.org/) [CC BY 4.0]