Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mexico instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
be 39.7% less likely to die by suicide
Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mexico, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.1 years less
In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 37.4% of people as of 2024.
see 72.2% less spent on your healthcare
Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mexico spends $1,368 as of 2023.
have 55.8% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mexico has 25.9 as of 2022.
have 14.8% less access to essential health services
Portugal scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mexico scores 75 as of 2021.
Economy
be 56.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mexico, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 80.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Portugal, 16.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Mexico, however, that number is 29.6% as of 2024.
make 56.7% less money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Mexico, the GDP per capita is $13,889 as of 2025.
Life
have 95.7% more children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mexico, there are 15.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.8 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 Mexico, 42.0 women do as of 2023.
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 Mexico, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.8% less on education
Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Mexico spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 46.3% less on healthcare
Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.2 times more coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Mexico, that number is 9,330 km.
Safety
be 34.5 times more likely to be murdered
Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Mexico, that number is 24.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 66.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mexico, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 51.9% less home broadband
Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mexico has 21.7 as of 2024.
live with 3.6 times more strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mexico withdraws 45% as of 2022.
use 49.8% less electricity
Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Mexico uses 2,658 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 3.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mexico, it causes 30.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Portugal vs. Mexico
Mexico: At a glance
How big is Mexico compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.