Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Portugal instead of Mexico, you would:
Health
live 7.1 years longer
In Mexico, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 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 51.6% less likely to be obese
In Mexico, 37.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 18.1% of people as of 2024.
see 3.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Mexico spends $1,368 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Portugal spends $4,928 as of 2024.
have 2.3 times more doctors per person
Mexico has 25.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Portugal has 58.5 as of 2022.
have 17.3% more access to essential health services
Mexico scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Portugal scores 88 as of 2021.
be 65.8% more likely to die by suicide
Mexico has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Portugal, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mexico, 29.6% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Portugal, however, that number is 16.4% as of 2021.
make 2.3 times more money
Mexico has a GDP per capita of $13,889 as of 2025, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $32,082 as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Mexico, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Portugal, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 64.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mexico, approximately 42.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Portugal, 15.0 women do as of 2023.
be 77.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Mexico, approximately 12.1 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.
have 48.9% fewer children
In Mexico, there are approximately 15.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.1% more on education
Mexico spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Portugal spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 86.2% more on healthcare
Mexico spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 10.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 80.8% less coastline
Mexico has a total of 9,330 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.
Safety
be 97.1% less likely to be murdered
Mexico has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 40.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mexico, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Portugal, they kill 7.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.1 times more home broadband
Mexico has 21.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Portugal has 45.2 as of 2024.
live with 72.6% less strain on fresh water
Mexico withdraws 45% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Portugal withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 99.2% more electricity
Mexico uses 2,658 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Portugal uses 5,294 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 66.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mexico, air pollution causes 30.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Portugal, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Mexico vs. Portugal
Portugal: At a glance
How big is Portugal compared to Mexico? See an in-depth size comparison.