Ireland is currently the 2nd most developed country on earth on the HDI scale, 4th wealthiest per capita, Ireland is the most food-secure country on earth and tops the good country index, The idea of the Good Country Index is simple: to measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size. It found that Ireland was the best country for contributing to the common good of humanity

The Republic of Ireland: because we had our backs against the wall because we had no capital (when the Brits left they took all their capital with them) nobody would lend money to us. We had to think okay what are we gonna do how do we leapfrog this backwardness into the future.

what we did was join what would become the European Union. We committedly joined the European Union. Another main difference was the presence of American multinationals. Our openness to the united states which was part of an economic strategy and also part of a legacy of the diaspora.

Basically, the economic failures of the past that made our people flee to the four corners of the globe, gave us the connections that we capitalised on Ireland has tremendous soft power. On a per-head basis, Ireland has a good claim to be the world’s most diplomatically powerful country.

Ireland has some natural advantages. A history of emigration blessed it with a huge diaspora in America, which unlike say the German diaspora, is vocal about its heritage. That ensures an audience in the White House and sway on Capitol Hill. It is a small, English-speaking country with diplomats able to focus on a few clear aims. A policy of neutrality helps it avoid unpopular military entanglement. Unlike most rich European countries, it carries no imperial baggage. Indeed, Ireland’s history as a victim of colonialism still provides a useful icebreaker with countries once coloured pink on Victorian maps. Nor is Ireland shy about using its cultural clout.

When Ireland economically opened up the Americans were ready with their capital, not on the basis of legacy or heritage but on the basis of a good economic decision.

American corporations alone have invested close to $400 bn (£312bn) in the Republic. That's ten times the amount of structural funds the EU gave Ireland.

Irelands success is more nuanced than the narrative of being a tax haven, that our detractors like to label us with.

Our competitors don't understand is that Ireland has been playing this game for a long time which is and all small countries have to figure out how do you play off the big countries. How do you be part of the European Union to be attractive to Americans and be cognizant of the fact that Britain is a significant trade partner

Ireland is also a far more globalised economy. When Britain pulled out of Ireland, it took its capital too. It’s taken us a while to catch up, but eventually, we deployed fresh American capital by using our tax system, transforming the economy. This export-orientation ensured that Ireland is today a formidable trading machine. Based on the most recent data, the value of all goods and services exports per employed person in Ireland was €126,630 per year, compared to just €17,627 in the UK. Total trade in Ireland was 178 per cent of Ireland’s gross domestic product, which was significantly higher than the EU overall (77 per cent) and the UK (54 per cent). If there is a Singapore of Europe, it wears green not red, white and blue.

The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Irish global shipments during 2019. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Ireland.

1. Pharmaceuticals: US$53.5 billion (31.5% of total exports)
2. Organic chemicals: $35.6 billion (21%)
3. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $15.2 billion (9%)
4. Electrical machinery, equipment: $11.7 billion (6.9%)
5. Machinery including computers: $9.8 billion (5.7%)
6. Perfumes, cosmetics: $8.8 billion (5.2%)
7. Aircraft, spacecraft: $4.6 billion (2.7%)
8. Other chemical goods: $4.1 billion (2.4%)
9. Meat: $3.5 billion (2.1%)
10. Dairy, eggs, honey: $3.4 billion (2%)

Ireland is the European hub to over 1,000 leading multinational companies! Companies who require a skilled, educated and highly capable workforce to drive their success chose to locate in Ireland.

Over 1,000 FDI giants in ICT, Social Media, Pharmaceuticals and Finance have made Ireland the hub of their European operations, with names such as Google, HP, Apple, IBM, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Pfizer, GSK and Genzyme.

Ireland has been the fastest growing country within the Eurozone for a number of consecutive years now

Ireland is in the top ten of most peaceful countries in the world. To put that in some context, the USA does not even make it into the top 100 peaceful countries. It is placed at 121 in the International peace index.

Every year, the Institute for Economics and Peace an Australian think tank analyses 163 countries to determine where is the most peaceful. To do so, it has formed its Global Peace Index, which takes many factors into account.

The Global Peace Index takes into account factors such as government, corruption, crime, terrorism, weapons, and prison systems.

However, the US has actually improved its standing compared to last year...if only by moving up one point.

The report cited political polarisation; nuclear weapons; external conflicts; weapons exports; and high rates of incarcerations as reasons for such a low score.

Ireland also ranks high on the Good Country index. The Good Country Index has ranked Ireland as the second-best country in the world for 2018, coming in just behind Finland.

What is meant by a Good Country is something much simpler: it’s a country that contributes to the greater good of humanity. A country that serves the interests of its own people, but without harming - and preferably by advancing - the interests of people in other countries too.

Of the 153 countries ranked, here is how Ireland fared in each category:

• Science & Technology: 46th
• Culture: 9th
• International Peace and Security: 4th
• World Order: 19th
• Planet and Climate: 27th
• Prosperity and Equality: 6th
• Health and Wellbeing: 8th

All of the countries in the top 10 places were European, except for tenth place, which went to Canada. The United Kingdom ranked 15th, Australia came in 20th, and the United States ranked 40th.

Ireland is one of the most stable democracies in the world, with a really successful prosperous economy.

By all measurable metrics, The Republic of Ireland is ahead socially and economically of our near neighbours.

Exercises in democracy such as the same-sex marriage referendum and repealing the 8th amendment legalising abortion. shows how maturely the country can resolve decisive societal issues that would tear apart and divide any other countries.

These are the richest countries in the world per capita.

Qatar ($124,930) The small Middle Eastern country often ranks as one of the richest countries in the world per capita, but the Kafala system has been likened to modern slavery. Most employees in Qatar come from other countries, but they are only allowed to work if they have a Qatari sponsor.

Luxembourg ($109,190) ...

Singapore ($90,530) ...

Brunei ($76,740) ...

Ireland ($72,630) ...

Norway ($70,590) ...

Kuwait ($69,670) ...

United Arab Emirates ($68,250)

Ireland has one of the most progressive tax systems in the OECD. Poverty rates are amongst the lowest in Europe.

Ireland has the most progressive income tax system (including employee social insurance contributions) in the EU. The tax paid by a single person on two-thirds average earnings(average earnings are just under €35,600) is the fifth-lowest in the OECD (out of 35 countries) after Mexico, Chile, Korea and Israel.

The economy of Ireland is a knowledge economy focused on services into high-tech, life sciences and financial services industries. Ireland is an open economy (6th on the Index of Economic Freedom), and ranks first for high-value foreign direct investment (FDI) flows. In the global GDP per capita tables, Ireland ranks 5th of 187 in the IMF table and 6th of 175 in the World Bank ranking.

12.5% of the Irish population is non-Irish-national. That's amongst the highest of any OECD country. Ireland is an attractive destination. People will migrate where the money is.

Ireland did not have a post WW2 baby boom, our baby boom did not happen until the late 1970s this generation is dubbed "The Pope's Children" by economist David McWilliams. They are the first generation since the Great Famine of the mid-19th century to experience an increase in the size of the population.

(The rise in birth rates in Ireland began in the early 1970s and peaked in June 1980, exactly nine months after the pope's visit.), these 620,000 people became the country's key generation. They are the dynamo of Ireland's economy, politics and culture, and they will shape its face in the 21st century.

Ireland is a rich country, but you have to break down what that means a bit. The average Irish person in Ireland has a high income by European and global standards, higher than in the UK (excluding London), France or Germany. The cost of living is also higher though. Our standard for public services etc. would be on par with other Western European countries.

However, Ireland is a small country, and it has only been well-off for about 20 years. As a result, we have a lot fewer of the trappings of wealth (monuments, treasures, grand buildings, etc.) that can make a country feel rich than our European peers would. Even patriotic Irish people, unlike most western Europeans, would not think of their country as having grandeur, or imperial glory, or that sort of thing. Most western Europeans that have these ideas are slightly delusional, but it still impacts the impression they give abroad. The Irish are a lot more modest and realistic in that sense. Also, our collective wealth is not enormous, because we're quite small (think of Russia vs Luxembourg: which is "richer"? Russia is, by far, but Luxembourgers are far richer than Russians on average).

Also, because wealth spread throughout the country unevenly and recently, and because worse-off people are more likely to emigrate, you can still find plenty of Irish people around the world who come from tough circumstances, or whose vision of Ireland is as a deprived country. People who left in the depth of the recession would have a lot of experiences like this, for example. Though even for unemployed people, it's worth noting that the dole in Ireland (which all unemployed people are entitled to) is €200 a week, which again is very high by global standards.

Ireland has one of the youngest and most educated workforces in Europe is English speaking which gives it an advantage in its ability to attract and retain FDI is the result of a number of factors and consistent policy-making by the Government over many decades. At the heart of this approach has been an openness to global markets, competitive taxation rates, investment in education and membership of the European Union.

Ireland has a very high GDP per capita, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Much of that GDP is from foreign investors like Google, Apple and Intel. Much of the profit from these companies go back to the US or wherever that company is from. The national debt is also huge which absorbs a lot of money. The average wage is among the highest in the EU but prices for goods and services is equally high. Overall, therefore, Ireland is on probably on with the Uk, France and Germany for wealth but it does have a much higher economic growth.

With an educated workforce, positive trading conditions and a gateway to European neighbours, Ireland continues to be an ideal location for international companies to set up or expand their operations. According to IDA Ireland (2018), over 1,200 multinational companies have chosen Ireland as their strategic European base across sectors including Digital and Social Media, Gaming, Life Sciences, International Financial Services and Information and Communications Technology.

Leading-edge brands such as Apple, Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, PayPal and Hubspot have chosen Ireland as the location for their EMEA headquarters. Ireland is fast becoming a hub for these key sectors, which in turn is driving growth and recovery in the economy making it an attractive and thriving place to do business. Even factoring in the COVID 19 pandemic, Ireland is well placed to make a relatively quick recovery,

Yes, there are some caveats, but on the whole, it can be argued Ireland is a stable democracy and functioning state.