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

Health

live 1.6 years longer

In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 22.6% less likely to be obese

In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.

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be 39.3% less likely to die by suicide

Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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have 28.4% fewer doctors per person

Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Italy has 41.9 as of 2022.

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Economy

make 35.0% more money

Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.

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be 22.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Portugal, 16.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.

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Life

be 60.0% 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 Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 14.8% less 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 Italy, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 20.3% fewer children

In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 10.5% less on education

Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Italy spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 17.6% less on healthcare

Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 4.2 times more coastline

Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.

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Safety

be 20.8% less likely to be murdered

Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Italy, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 30.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Italy, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 29.8% less home broadband

Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Italy has 31.8 as of 2024.

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live with 2.4 times more strain on fresh water

Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Italy withdraws 30% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 50.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Italy, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

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emit 53.0% more CO2

Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Italy emits 5.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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How big is Italy compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.

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