If you lived in Spain instead of Colombia, you would:

Health

live 6.0 years longer

In Colombia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 38.5% less likely to be obese

In Colombia, 24.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Colombia spends $1,758 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.

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have 69.4% more doctors per person

Colombia has 25.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Spain has 42.9 as of 2022.

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be 75.8% more likely to die by suicide

Colombia has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Spain, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 36.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Colombia, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.

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make 4.5 times more money

Colombia has a GDP per capita of $8,562 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.

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be 25.2% more likely to be unemployed

In Colombia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 94.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Colombia, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 75.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Colombia, approximately 10.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.

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have 50.9% fewer children

In Colombia, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 20.7% more likely to have internet access

In Colombia, approximately 79.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Spain, about 95.8% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 12.7% less on education

Colombia spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 13.3% more on healthcare

Colombia spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 54.7% more coastline

Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

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Safety

be 97.2% less likely to be murdered

Colombia has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 78.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Colombia, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.3 times more home broadband

Colombia has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Spain has 39.2 as of 2024.

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use 3.3 times more electricity

Colombia uses 1,551 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Spain uses 5,196 kWh as of 2024.

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live with 11.9 times more strain on fresh water

Colombia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 58.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Colombia, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Spain, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.

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emit 2.5 times more CO2

Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Spain emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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