If you lived in Portugal instead of Norway, you would:

Health

be 10.5% less likely to be obese

In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 18.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 17.6% more doctors per person

Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Portugal has 58.5 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 12.7% less likely to die by suicide

Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Portugal, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

see 48.3% less spent on your healthcare

Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Portugal spends $4,928 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 32.8% more likely to be unemployed

In Norway, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Portugal, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 34.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Norway, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Portugal, however, that number is 16.4% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

make 66.1% less money

Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $32,082 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 15.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Norway, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Portugal, 15.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 35.0% more likely to die during infancy

In Norway, approximately 2.0 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.

View global rankings →

have 18.6% fewer children

In Norway, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 10.6% less likely to have internet access

In Norway, approximately 99.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Portugal, about 88.5% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 16.2% less on education

Norway spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Portugal spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 92.9% less coastline

Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 4.8 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Portugal, they kill 7.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 6.0 times more strain on fresh water

Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Portugal withdraws 12% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 77.6% less electricity

Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Portugal uses 5,294 kWh as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 53.8% less CO2

Norway emits 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 25.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Portugal, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


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

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.
Read more

How big is Portugal compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Portugal or Norway. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.