The map above shows Kentucky and Ireland side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Kentucky vs Ireland Geography
Land area
- Kentucky has a land area of 39,485 square miles (102,267 km²), while Ireland has 26,596 square miles (68,883 km²).
- Kentucky's land area is 1.5 times (48%) larger than Ireland's.
Total area
- Kentucky: 40,406 square miles (104,651 km²) vs Ireland: 27,133 square miles (70,273 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Kentucky's total area is 1.5 times (49%) larger than Ireland's.
Length
- Kentucky is 257 miles (414 km) long from north to south; Ireland is 287 miles (462 km).
- Ireland's north-south length is 1.1 times (12%) longer than Kentucky's.
Width
- Kentucky spans 418 miles (672 km) east to west; Ireland spans 191 miles (308 km).
- Kentucky's east-west width is 2.2 times (119%) wider than Ireland's.
Highest point
- Kentucky's highest point is Black Mountain at 4,134 feet (1,260 m); Ireland's is Carrauntoohil at 3,406 feet (1,038 m).
- Black Mountain is 728 feet higher than Carrauntoohil.
Lowest point
- Kentucky's lowest point is Mississippi River at 270 feet; Ireland's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Ireland's lowest point is 270 feet lower.
Kentucky vs Ireland Population and History
Population
- Kentucky has a population of 4,588,372 (2024), while Ireland has 5,525,600 (2026).
- Ireland's population is 1.2 times (20%) larger than Kentucky's.
Population density
- Kentucky: 116.2 people per square mile vs Ireland: 207.8.
- Ireland's population density is 1.8 times (79%) higher than Kentucky's.
Biggest city
- Kentucky's biggest city is Louisville with 640,796 people; Ireland's is Dublin with 592,713.
- Louisville's population is 1.1 times (8%) larger than Dublin's.
Largest metro area
- Kentucky's largest metropolitan area is Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area (2,302,815 people) vs Ireland's Greater Dublin Area (2,082,605).
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area's population is 1.1 times (11%) larger than Greater Dublin Area's.
History
- Kentucky: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, as the 15th state.
- Ireland: Independent since December 6, 1922, as the Irish Free State; a republic since 1949.
- In its current form, Kentucky is the older of the two by 130 years.
Kentucky vs Ireland Economy
GDP
- Kentucky's GDP is $295.4 billion (2024) vs Ireland's $721.7 billion.
- Ireland's economic output is 2.4 times (144%) larger than Kentucky's.
GDP per capita
- Kentucky: $64,375 per person vs Ireland: $131,593.
- Ireland's GDP per capita is 2.0 times (104%) higher than Kentucky's.
Average income
- Kentucky: $58,256 vs Ireland: $87,360 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Ireland's average income is 1.5 times (50%) higher than Kentucky's.
Official Websites
Kentucky official website · Ireland official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Kentucky size comparisons · All Ireland size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.