Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Portugal instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 35.2% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 18.1% of people as of 2024.
have 51.0% more doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Portugal has 58.5 as of 2022.
see 43.8% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Portugal spends $4,928 as of 2024.
be 34.7% more likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Portugal, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 33.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Portugal, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.
be 17.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Portugal, however, that number is 16.4% as of 2021.
make 75.6% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $32,082 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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 Ireland, 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 21.0% fewer children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.9% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Portugal spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 49.5% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 10.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 23.8% more coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.
Safety
be 10.8% more likely to be murdered
Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Portugal, they kill 7.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 40.1% more home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Portugal has 45.2 as of 2024.
live with 53.0% more strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Portugal withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 15.9% less electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Portugal uses 5,294 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 23.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Portugal, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 45.0% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 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: Ireland vs. Portugal
Portugal: At a glance
How big is Portugal compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.