Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Portugal instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

be 97.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Portugal, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2020.

live 16.2 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Portugal, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 26.5% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Portugal, that number is 20.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.7 times more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $13,500 as of 2022, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $35,800 as of 2022.

be 79.2% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Portugal, that number is 6.0% as of 2022.

pay a 25.6% higher top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Portugal, the top tax rate is 56.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 90.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Portugal, 12.0 women do as of 2020.

be 90.3% less likely to die during infancy

In South Africa, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Portugal, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 54.2% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 12.0% more likely to have access to electricity

In South Africa, approximately 89% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Portugal, 100% of the population do as of 2021.

be 13.9% more likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Portugal, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 24.2% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Portugal spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 23.3% more on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Portugal, that number is 10.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 35.9% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, South African Revenue Service, Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira.

Portugal: At a glance

Portugal is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 91,470 sq km. Following its heyday as a global maritime power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence of Brazil, its wealthiest colony, in 1822. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.
Read more

How big is Portugal compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Portugal.or South Africa It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.