Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
be 94.9% less likely to die by suicide
Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.8 years less
In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
be 82.6% more likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
see 97.5% less spent on your healthcare
Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
have 74.0% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 27.3% less access to essential health services
Portugal scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
make 96.7% less money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
have 2.9 times more children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 33.3% 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 Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.6 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 Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Portugal, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 47.3% less likely to have internet access
In Portugal, approximately 88.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 73.5% less on healthcare
Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.2% less coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 4.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 84.8% less home broadband
Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
live with 10.1 times more strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
use 83.9% less electricity
Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 61.7% less CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 8.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Portugal vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.