Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
be 91.8% less likely to die by suicide
Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.4 years less
In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
see 29.5% less spent on your healthcare
Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 41.8% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
have 15.9% less access to essential health services
Portugal scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 50.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
have 2.1 times more children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 74.1% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.0% more likely to have internet access
In Portugal, approximately 88.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 44.4% less on healthcare
Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 47.2% more coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 30.6% more likely to be murdered
Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 2.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 2.2 times more electricity
Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 79.1 times more strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 9.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.6 times more CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Portugal vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.