Finland is crowned the happiest country in the world for the ninth year in a row in the new World Happiness Report. Ireland is 13th happiest - its highest ranking since 2012, which makes it the happiest English-speaking country after New Zealand. 🇮🇪😁 www.independent.ie/opinion/comm...

The world can learn a lot from Ireland this #StPatricksDay. The Irish have never been healthier, wealthier, better educated, or happier. They have uncovered the blueprint for national well-being. Watch my TEDx talk to learn from Ireland's success 🇮🇪☘️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8LO...

Ireland takes the world record! Irish actors have won more Oscars (per capita) than those of any other nation. 🇮🇪🎉 With Jessie Buckley's win, and claiming Daniel Day-Lewis as our own, the Irish are twice as successful at picking up the golden statue as American or British actors.

Irish people have faith in our electoral system. More than 8-in-10 agree elections are conducted in accordance with the law, and 7-in-10 agree elections are well managed and officials are fair. A well-functioning democracy is key to Ireland's progress. 🇮🇪 www.electoralcommission.ie/media-releas...

The number of women in the workforce has doubled in the past 30 years in Ireland. There are now 1.33 million women with jobs - 70% of whom work full-time and 30% part-time. The gap with males in employment has never been so narrow. 🇮🇪 www.cso.ie/en/releasesa...

Ireland is one of the best places in the world for economic opportunities for women. The World Bank assesses 190 economies on how laws, policies, and practices shape opportunities for women. Legal rights in Ireland are the 6th strongest globally. 🇮🇪👩‍⚖️👏 wbl.worldbank.org/en/publicati...

Dublin is the 19th best city in Europe says a review of 180 places. Dublin is deemed highly livable, lovable and prosperous. It's ranked #1 for Economic Output, #9 for biking, and #11 for walkability. 🇮🇪🚲🚶 www.worldsbestcities.com/rankings/eur...

Humankind is making good progress reducing environmental pollution. e.g. oil spills from tankers were common in the 1970s with 70 to 100 spills a year. The number has fallen by 90% since then. In the last decade, no year has had more than 10 spills 👏 ourworldindata.org/data-insight...

Ireland is one of the best countries in Europe in ensuring no one is left behind. A new index tracks progress on income & gender inequality, poverty, and access to services. Ireland ranks 7th of 35 European countries. There is always more to be done, but this is a good place to be. 🇮🇪

The number of people in employment in Ireland has hit a record high of 2.83 million. Astonishingly, that figure has doubled in less than 30 years. The country is a much better place now than it was in the 1990s. 🇮🇪👍 www.cso.ie/en/releasesa...

The Irish public sector is one of the best at embracing digital technologies. Ireland is ranked 7th out of 42 countries in the OECD's Digital Government Index. Great progress in the past few years means we're as digitised now as Norway, Estonia & Denmark. 🇮🇪🧑‍💻 www.oecd.org/en/publicati...

Irish people are strong supporters of a fairer economy. Three-quarters (76%) believe the government should take measures to reduce differences in income between people. That's higher than any other Northern Europe country (we're more Scandinavian than the Scandinavians themselves!) 🇮🇪

Ireland is one of the best places in the world for young people to live. The Youth Progress Index tracks quality of life and the extent to which youth rights are enjoyed globally. Ireland ranks 10th out of 169 nations. Not perfect, but doing very well. 🇮🇪👏 youthprogressindex.org/ranking2

More than nine-in-ten Irish people believe our country has benefitted from EU membership. 🇮🇪🇪🇺 That's the 2nd highest figure of any member state (just behind Malta). Ireland would not be as wealthy and modern a country today if we had not joined in 1973. europa.eu/eurobaromete...

Ireland has achieved near gender parity in science and engineering. 47% of Irish scientists and engineers are female. That's on par with Spain and just behind Denmark (49%) and Latvia (51%). Great progress that will have meaningful benefits for society. 🇮🇪👩‍🔬 ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/...

Ireland is the 12th least corrupt country in the world. 🇮🇪🎉 Transparency International find that corruption is worsening globally. Ireland, however, is among the countries that significantly reduced corruption since 2012. Something to be celebrated, but never taken for granted.

Ireland has seen good growth in forests in recent years. Surprisingly, we are one of the least forested countries in the EU but there was positive growth of 7% in 2023 and 6% in 2024. It's important progress that helps with climate change and can reduce flooding. 🇮🇪🌲 ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/...

Ireland has a highly independent judiciary and courts system. 7-in-10 Irish people agree this is the case. And our system is far more independent than is typical elsewhere in the EU - only 5-in-10 European citizens agree that their system is independent. 🇮🇪⚖️ www.lawsociety.ie/policy-and-l...

The world became MORE equal over the past 25 years. The share of global consumption of the world's poorest nearly doubled, while that of the richest declined. The shift is driven mostly by gains in low- and middle-income economies as poorer countries grew faster than rich ones.

A beautiful milestone was reached in the EU last year: more electricity was generated by wind and solar than by fossil fuels for the first time. Ireland isn't quite there yet, but we're making good progress so hopefully by 2027 🤞🇮🇪 ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

It's wonderful to see a 20% increase in the number of new homes built in Ireland last year 🇮🇪🏘️📈. The 36,284 new dwellings was the highest number since the Statistics Office began counting in 2011. Half were in housing estates, one-third apartments, and the rest one-offs. Good progress, more to do.

Real wages are growing again in Ireland. Wage growth exceeded inflation for 8 of the past 10 years, but not in 2022 & 2023 when high inflation saw our wage packet shrink. For the past 2 years we've been back to real wage increases, and this should continue this year and next 🇮🇪👍

The majority of people in Ireland believe that the government needs to spend more on our military. 58% of us agree with this. Given the increased threat from Russia, we should act quickly to support Europe's freedom and security. 🇮🇪🪖 www.ipsos.com/en/halifax-r...

Ireland is the 5th freest nation in the world. The Atlantic Council assesses 164 nations on economic & political freedom and the rule of law. Ireland places only behind Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden & Switzerland. That's worth celebrating 🇮🇪👍 freedom-and-prosperity-indexes.atlanticcouncil.org/rankings

The Irish passport is one of the world's most powerful. It provides visa-free access to 185 countries and territories, making it the joint 9th most useful passport in the world. 🇮🇪🎉 Ireland's EU membership makes the greatest contribution to our high ranking. www.henleyglobal.com/passport-ind...

Look at this 👇. For the first time, the majority of new cars sold in Ireland last year were hybrid or fully electric. 6-in-10 of all new cars are newly powered, with diesel- or petrol-only cars in continuing decline. Our transition to cleaner driving is well underway. 🇮🇪👏 www.cso.ie/en/releasesa...

Ireland is the 8th most socially progressive nation in the world, says the new Global Social Progress Index. The country is rated highly as an inclusive and safe society, with strong rights and freedoms, and excellent educational participation. 🇮🇪🎉 www.socialprogress.org/social-progr...

Irish workers are the world's best equipped with the new skills needed for the rapidly changing work environment, according to the IMF. What sets us apart is investment in tertiary education and lifelong learning programs that help workers adapt as technology evolves. 🇮🇪🥇 www.imf.org/en/blogs/art...

Which countries are adopting AI the fastest? Residents of the UAE, Singapore, Norway & Ireland 🇮🇪 are the top AI adopters globally, says Microsoft. Nearly half of the Irish working-age population use AI chatbots monthly, according to their data. www.economist.com/graphic-deta...

Irish teenagers are among the best in the world at math. Our 15-16 year olds rank 11th out of 80 countries in their average math scores. Asian countries top the ranking, with Estonia, Switzerland, the Netherlands & Ireland performing best in Europe. 🇮🇪👏 www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-b...

Overcrowded housing isn't a big problem in Ireland. Only 5% of Irish people don't have enough rooms for themselves and their families. That's one of the lowest figures in the EU - the Netherlands, Malta & Cyprus are the only nations with less. 🇮🇪🏠 ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/...

There's huge growth in renewable energy uptake in Irish homes. In just 3 years, the number with solar panels an/or a heat pump more than doubled - from 153,000 dwellings to 323,000! A quarter of all BER-assessed homes now have one or the other. 🇮🇪🏠📈👏 www.cso.ie/en/releasesa...

Did you know? People in wealthier countries are less lonely than those in poorer countries. And wealthier people are less lonely than poorer people in all countries. Economic development strengthens social connections and brings greater happiness. 🌍📈😀 www.economist.com/christmas-sp...

Happy 2026! Let's hope it's as good as 2025 was for the world. 🌍 There was lots to celebrate. More people are thriving and fewer suffering than ever before. Global unemployment at its lowest level since 1991. Record wheat, rice and soybeans harvests. Extreme poverty falling almost everywhere.

Have a wonderful Christmas break. And maybe a break from social media! Research shows only 3% of social media users post toxic content so ignore the slop you see from such a tiny and unrepresentative group, focus on the positives, and celebrate all you achieved this year. 🥳

Dublin has been crowned the 9th most liveable city in the world! Cities were ranked on factors such as security, political stability, air quality, healthcare, housing availability, infrastructure & recreation. Dublin has its challenges, like every other city, but we should celebrate its positives 🇮🇪🎉

The number of Irish people in mortgage arrears on their family homes has fallen to the lowest level since 2009. 3.4% are in arrears - half the figure of just 2 years ago. The strength of Ireland's economy and jobs market helped improve people's circumstances. 🇮🇪🏠 www.centralbank.ie/statistics/d...

Ireland is the 3rd largest exporter of digital services in the world! Only the USA & UK export more. It's thanks to our position as a European hub for major tech firms that create high-skilled jobs and contribute valuable tax income. 🇮🇪🥉 www.visualcapitalist.com/worlds-top-d...

Ireland is the 4th freest country in the world according to the new Human Freedom Index 2025. 🇮🇪👏 Irish residents enjoy exceptionally strong freedom of movement, of religion, of relationships, and of expression. Only the Swiss, Danes and New Zealanders rank higher. www.cato.org/human-freedo...

The waiting time for medical treatment in Ireland is reducing. While the number on the waiting list remains the same, there has been a dramatic decline in those waiting over 18 months. The vast majority now wait less than 6 months. That's progress 🇮🇪👏 www.oecd.org/en/publicati...

Ireland has one of the most highly educated populations in the world - and our immigrants help to make that so. Those born in another EU nation are typically more highly educated than those born in Ireland, but those born outside of the EU are the most highly educated of all. 🇮🇪

The number of Irish households experiencing enforced deprivation is in decline. 14.8% cannot afford items such as new clothes, furniture, or keeping their home warm. It's too high a number, but one that's improved hugely in the past 2 years as inflation has decreased. www.cso.ie/en/releasesa...

Which economy did best in 2025? According to The Economist, Portugal came #1 and Ireland #2. It's based on 5 indicators: inflation, 'inflation breadth', GDP, jobs & stock market performance among 36 mostly rich OECD countries. That's something worth celebrating 🇮🇪 www.economist.com/finance-and-...

The Irish are surprisingly pro-NATO. 71% of us expect NATO to have an overall positive influence on the world in the next decade. That's more supportive than 26 countries in this survey on world affairs. Should Ireland work more closely with NATO countries on security? www.ipsos.com/en/halifax-r...

Irish people have never been more satisfied with their lives. 98% of us are fairly (51%) or very (47%) satisfied - the highest of any EU country last year according to Eurobarometer. 🇮🇪 Hear me discuss this and other aspects of Ireland's progress with Matt Cooper open.spotify.com/episode/4Nvy...

I join Matt Cooper on his Magnified podcast to talk about Ireland's progress and how to achieve national happiness. I contend that Ireland is an exemplar of positive progress - 98% of Irish people say they are satisfied with their lives today! 🇮🇪 Catch it wherever you get your podcasts.

Irish household wealth more than doubled over the past decade, and is forecast to double again in the next 10 years. Importantly, as our wealth increased so wealth inequality *decreased* - Ireland is now more equal than most European nations. 🇮🇪 www.davy.ie/market-and-i...

Would you believe it? The Irish are healthy eaters! 70% of us consume vegetables daily. That's one of the highest figures in Europe - only the Belgians beat us (it must be the Brussels sprouts 😂!). www.oecd.org/en/publicati...

The cost of living is increasing in Ireland but people's wages are growing faster than prices, so most people have more money in their pockets than they had last year. Real wages are growing by about 3% a year, except for the pandemic year of 2022. 🇮🇪 www.fiscalcouncil.ie/fiscal-asses...

The more economic freedom people have, the less poverty there is that country. Ireland has one of the highest levels of economic freedom in the world, and one of its lowest poverty levels. (Poverty in the least free nations is 25 times greater!) We have made great progress 🇮🇪