Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Portugal instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
be 13.3% less likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 18.1% of people as of 2024.
have 63.7% more doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Portugal has 58.5 as of 2022.
be 37.3% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Portugal, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 34.2% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Portugal spends $4,928 as of 2024.
Economy
be 33.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Portugal, however, that number is 16.4% as of 2021.
make 47.2% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $32,082 as of 2025.
Life
be 12.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Portugal, on the other hand, 2.7 children do as of 2024.
be 3.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Belgium, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Portugal, 15.0 women do as of 2023.
have 14.1% fewer children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.5% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Portugal spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 27.0 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.
Safety
be 33.3% less likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Portugal, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 56.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Portugal, they kill 7.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 76.7% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Portugal withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 25.4% less electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Portugal uses 5,294 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 33.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Portugal, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 54.6% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Portugal
Portugal: At a glance
How big is Portugal compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.