Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Romania instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
be 16.5% less likely to die by suicide
Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Romania, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.9 years less
In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 79.4% more likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 32.4% of people as of 2024.
see 47.0% less spent on your healthcare
Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Romania spends $2,614 as of 2023.
have 38.0% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Romania has 36.2 as of 2022.
have 11.4% less access to essential health services
Portugal scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Romania scores 78 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Portugal, 16.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Romania, however, that number is 18.4% as of 2024.
make 29.7% less money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Romania, the GDP per capita is $22,538 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.0% 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 Romania, 12.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.2 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 Romania, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.9% less on education
Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Romania spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 44.2% less on healthcare
Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.5% less coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Romania, that number is 225 km.
Safety
be 54.2% more likely to be murdered
Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Romania, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 33.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Romania, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 38.1% less strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Romania withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 20.9% less home broadband
Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Romania has 35.8 as of 2024.
use 51.2% less electricity
Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Romania uses 2,585 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 4.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Romania, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.0% more CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Romania emits 3.7 tonnes as of 2024.
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. Romania
Romania: At a glance
How big is Romania compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.