Quality of life comparison
If you lived in France instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
be 38.1% less likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In France, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 39.4% more spent on your healthcare
Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). France spends $6,868 as of 2024.
have 43.9% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. France has 32.8 as of 2022.
be 43.9% more likely to die by suicide
Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In France, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 52.7% more money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in France, the GDP per capita is $48,986 as of 2025.
be 22.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In France, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 53.3% less 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 France, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
have 22.8% more children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In France, there are 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 25.9% 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 France, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.9% more on education
Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. France spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 12.7% more on healthcare
Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In France, that number is 11.5% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.7 times more coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In France, that number is 4,853 km.
Safety
be 34.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In France, they kill 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 86.1% more likely to be murdered
Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In France, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
use 21.8% more electricity
Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. France uses 6,447 kWh as of 2024.
live with 73.5% more strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. France withdraws 21% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 20.5% more CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. France emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Portugal vs. France
France: At a glance
How big is France compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.