Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Colombia instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
be 56.9% less likely to die by suicide
Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Colombia, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.5 years less
In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 37.8% more likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 24.9% of people as of 2024.
see 64.3% less spent on your healthcare
Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Colombia spends $1,758 as of 2024.
have 56.7% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Colombia has 25.4 as of 2023.
Economy
be 34.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Colombia, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
be 93.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Portugal, 16.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Colombia, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2024.
make 73.3% less money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Colombia, the GDP per capita is $8,562 as of 2025.
Life
have 67.7% more children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Colombia, there are 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Portugal, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Colombia, 59.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.9 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 Colombia, on the other hand, 10.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 10.3% less likely to have internet access
In Portugal, approximately 88.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Colombia, about 79.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.5% less on healthcare
Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 8.1% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 15.6% more on education
Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Colombia spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Geography
see 78.9% more coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Colombia, that number is 3,208 km.
Safety
be 34.6 times more likely to be murdered
Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Colombia, that number is 24.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Colombia, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 70.5% less strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Colombia withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 61.9% less home broadband
Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Colombia has 17.2 as of 2024.
use 70.7% less electricity
Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Colombia uses 1,551 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 45.8% less CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Colombia, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Portugal vs. Colombia
Colombia: At a glance
How big is Colombia compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.