Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Portugal instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
be 80.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cameroon, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.
live 18.4 years longer
In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
see 20.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Cameroon spends $246 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Portugal spends $4,928 as of 2024.
have 43.0 times more doctors per person
Cameroon has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Portugal has 58.5 as of 2022.
have 100.0% more access to essential health services
Cameroon scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Portugal scores 88 as of 2021.
be 12.7% more likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 18.1% of people as of 2024.
be 35.5% more likely to die by suicide
Cameroon has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Portugal, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 56.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Cameroon, 37.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Portugal, however, that number is 16.4% as of 2021.
make 16.3 times more money
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $32,082 as of 2025.
be 71.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Cameroon, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Portugal, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 94.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cameroon, approximately 258.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Portugal, 15.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.2% more likely to be literate
In Cameroon, the literacy rate is 72.5% as of 2018. In Portugal, it is 95.9% as of 2021.
be 93.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Cameroon, approximately 40.2 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.
have 76.3% fewer children
In Cameroon, there are approximately 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 38.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 91.3% more likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Portugal, about 88.5% do as of 2024.
be 39.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Cameroon, approximately 71% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 60.2% more on education
Cameroon spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Portugal spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Cameroon spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 10.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 4.5 times more coastline
Cameroon has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.
Safety
be 89.3% less likely to be murdered
Cameroon has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Portugal, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 32.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Portugal, they kill 7.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 21.2 times more home broadband
Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Portugal has 45.2 as of 2024.
use 23.4 times more electricity
Cameroon uses 226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Portugal uses 5,294 kWh as of 2024.
live with 7.9 times more strain on fresh water
Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Portugal withdraws 12% as of 2022.
Environment
be 90.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Portugal, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 9.5 times more CO2
Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cameroon vs. Portugal
Portugal: At a glance
How big is Portugal compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.