Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Portugal instead of New Caledonia, you would:

Health

live 3.5 years longer

In New Caledonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 44.9% less likely to be unemployed

In New Caledonia, 11.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Portugal, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.

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Life

have 43.7% fewer children

In New Caledonia, there are approximately 14.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Geography

see 20.5% less coastline

New Caledonia has a total of 2,254 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.

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Infrastructure

find 2.3 times more home broadband

New Caledonia has 19.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Portugal has 45.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 80.6% less CO2

New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: New Caledonia vs. Portugal

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Portugal is 25.6% cheaper than New Caledonia overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
New Caledonia is about 5 times smaller than Portugal.
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Moving from New Caledonia to Portugal · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Portugal: At a glance

Portugal is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 91,470 sq km. Following its heyday as a global maritime power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence of Brazil, its wealthiest colony, in 1822. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.
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How big is Portugal compared to New Caledonia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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