Moving to Portugal from North Korea
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from North Korea to Portugal — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from North Korea to Portugal, and you’d need to navigate life in Portuguese. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Lisbon averages 69°F vs 60°F in P'yongyang, making it significantly warmer.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from North Korea to Portugal, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Portugal?
Top countries of origin for Portugal's foreign-born residents.
- 179,524
- 154,017
- 104,164
- 80,570
- 68,299
- 53,384
- · · ·
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105.82
North Korea
Key Indicator Comparison
How North Korea and Portugal stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
North Korea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Portugal leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
North Korea generally does better on environment, though Portugal leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
Portugal performs significantly better than North Korea across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
North Korea performs better than Portugal across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
percentage of adults who can read and write
Portugal generally does better on family life, though North Korea leads in literacy rate.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2015–2021). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | P'yongyang | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 38°/20°F (4°/-7°C) | 61°/48°F (16°/9°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 71°/56°F (22°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/65°F (27°/18°C) | 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 50°/31°F (10°/0°C) | 65°/53°F (18°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | P'yongyang | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/13°F (-0.8°/-10.7°C) | 58°/47°F (14.5°/8.2°C) |
| Feb | 36°/18°F (2.4°/-7.8°C) | 60°/48°F (15.6°/9.0°C) |
| Mar | 48°/29°F (8.9°/-1.8°C) | 64°/50°F (17.6°/9.9°C) |
| Apr | 63°/41°F (17.1°/4.9°C) | 66°/52°F (19.1°/11.1°C) |
| May | 73°/52°F (22.6°/10.9°C) | 71°/55°F (21.7°/13.0°C) |
| Jun | 80°/62°F (26.7°/16.5°C) | 77°/60°F (24.8°/15.6°C) |
| Jul | 83°/69°F (28.6°/20.7°C) | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) |
| Aug | 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.5°C) | 82°/64°F (27.9°/17.7°C) |
| Sep | 76°/58°F (24.7°/14.3°C) | 80°/63°F (26.4°/17.0°C) |
| Oct | 65°/44°F (18.2°/6.7°C) | 72°/58°F (22.4°/14.6°C) |
| Nov | 49°/31°F (9.4°/-0.3°C) | 64°/52°F (17.8°/11.2°C) |
| Dec | 35°/19°F (1.7°/-7.2°C) | 59°/48°F (14.8°/8.9°C) |
Instituto Português do Mar e da AtmosferaVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between North Korea and Portugal. To live, work, or study long-term in Portugal, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Portugal's immigration authority.
North Korea passport holder visiting Portugal
Visa Required
Portugal passport holder visiting North Korea
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Portugal?
Working remotely from Portugal's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in North Korea and Portugal.
How is healthcare in Portugal compared to North Korea?
North Korea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Portugal leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people in Portugal, compared to 36.3 in North Korea. Portugal scores 88 on the WHO universal health coverage index (North Korea: 68).
What's the weather like in Portugal compared to North Korea?
The average high temperature in Lisbon is 69°F, compared to 60°F in P'yongyang. Lisbon receives around 29.6 in of rainfall per year, while P'yongyang gets 37.0 in.
What language do they speak in Portugal?
The official language in Portugal is Portuguese. In North Korea, the official language is Korean.
