Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Portugal instead of Iran, you would:
Health
live 4.5 years longer
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 26.4% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 18.1% of people as of 2024.
see 4.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Portugal spends $4,928 as of 2024.
have 3.2 times more doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Portugal has 58.5 as of 2022.
have 18.9% more access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Portugal scores 88 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Portugal, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 25.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Portugal, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.
make 8.2 times more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $32,082 as of 2025.
Life
be 73.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 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 37.2% fewer children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 61.3% more on education
Iran 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 69.8% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 10.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 26.5% less coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.
Safety
be 65.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Portugal, they kill 7.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.8 times more home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Portugal has 45.2 as of 2024.
live with 84.8% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Portugal withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 38.8% more electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Portugal uses 5,294 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 80.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Portugal, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 63.3% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 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: Iran vs. Portugal
Portugal: At a glance
How big is Portugal compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.