Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 5.9 years less

In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Aruba, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 20.3% more money

Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Aruba, the GDP per capita is $38,591 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Life

be 4.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Portugal, approximately 2.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Aruba, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 20.4% less on education

Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Aruba spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 96.2% less coastline

Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Aruba, that number is 68 km.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 61.3% less home broadband

Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Aruba has 17.5 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 55.1% more CO2

Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Aruba emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Portugal vs. Aruba

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Aruba is 32.3% more expensive than Portugal overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Portugal is about 512 times bigger than Aruba.
→
Moving from Portugal to Aruba · UN DESA 2020
182 people born in Portugal live in Aruba.
→

Aruba: At a glance

Aruba is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 180 sq km. Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.
Read more

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

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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