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

Health

live 10.0 years less

In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Mongolia, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 38.9% more likely to be obese

In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mongolia, that number is 25.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 77.5% less spent on your healthcare

Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mongolia spends $1,109 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 29.4% fewer doctors per person

Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mongolia has 41.3 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 26.1% less access to essential health services

Portugal scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mongolia scores 65 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 60.6% more likely to die by suicide

Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mongolia, it is 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 15.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mongolia, that number is 5.2% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 65.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Portugal, 16.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Mongolia, however, that number is 27.1% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

make 77.8% less money

Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Mongolia, the GDP per capita is $7,108 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.1 times more children

In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mongolia, there are 16.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.7 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 Mongolia, 41.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 4.1 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 Mongolia, on the other hand, 11.2 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 13.3% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Portugal, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Mongolia, that number is 86% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 64% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 40.7% less on healthcare

Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Mongolia, that number is 6.1% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 14.5% more on education

Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Mongolia spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 8.2 times more likely to be murdered

Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Mongolia, that number is 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 72.2% more likely to die in a road accident

In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mongolia, they kill 12.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 72.4% less strain on fresh water

Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mongolia withdraws 3% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 65.1% less home broadband

Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mongolia has 15.8 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

use 48.5% less electricity

Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Mongolia uses 2,728 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 12.0 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mongolia, it causes 120.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 2.4 times more CO2

Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mongolia emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


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

Mongolia: At a glance

Mongolia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 1,553,556 sq km. The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAAN they established a huge Eurasian empire through conquest. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and in the late 17th century came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing and a communist regime was installed in 1924. The modern country of Mongolia, however, represents only part of the Mongols' historical homeland; more ethnic Mongolians live in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China than in Mongolia. Following a peaceful democratic revolution, the ex-communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) won elections in 1990 and 1992, but was defeated by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) in the 1996 parliamentary election. The MPRP won an overwhelming majority in the 2000 parliamentary election, but the party lost seats in the 2004 election and shared power with democratic coalition parties from 2004-08. The MPRP regained a solid majority in the 2008 parliamentary elections but nevertheless formed a coalition government with the Democratic Party that lasted until January 2012. In 2009, current President ELBEGDORJ of the Democratic Party was elected to office and was re-elected for his second term in June 2013. In 2010, the MPRP voted to retake the name of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP), a name it used in the early 1920s. Shortly thereafter, a new party was formed by former president ENKHBAYAR, which adopted the MPRP name. In the 2012 Parliamentary elections, a coalition of four political parties led by the Democratic Party, gained control of the Parliament.
Read more

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

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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