Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Spain instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
live 1.5 years longer
In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 15.3% less likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.
be 24.3% less likely to die by suicide
Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Spain, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
have 26.6% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Spain has 42.9 as of 2022.
Economy
make 20.4% more money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.
be 68.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.
be 23.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Portugal, 16.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.
Life
be 80.0% 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 Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
have 17.7% fewer children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.8 times more coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.
Safety
be 51.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.3% less home broadband
Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Spain has 39.2 as of 2024.
live with 3.5 times more strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 35.8% more CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Spain emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Portugal vs. Spain
Spain: At a glance
How big is Spain compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.