Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Portugal instead of Spain, you would:
Health
have 36.3% more doctors per person
Spain has 42.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Portugal has 58.5 as of 2022.
live 1.5 years less
In Spain, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 18.0% more likely to be obese
In Spain, 15.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 18.1% of people as of 2024.
be 32.1% more likely to die by suicide
Spain has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Portugal, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 40.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Spain, 10.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Portugal, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.
be 18.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Spain, 20.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Portugal, however, that number is 16.4% as of 2021.
make 16.9% less money
Spain has a GDP per capita of $38,627 as of 2025, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $32,082 as of 2025.
Life
have 21.5% more children
In Spain, there are approximately 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Spain, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Portugal, 15.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 11.1% more on healthcare
Spain spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 10.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 63.9% less coastline
Spain has a total of 4,964 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Spain, road accidents kill 3.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Portugal, they kill 7.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 15.3% more home broadband
Spain has 39.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Portugal has 45.2 as of 2024.
live with 71.5% less strain on fresh water
Spain withdraws 43% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Portugal withdraws 12% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 26.4% less CO2
Spain emits 4.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Portugal emits 3.3 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: Spain vs. Portugal
Portugal: At a glance
How big is Portugal compared to Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.