Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Portugal instead of Iceland, you would:

Health

live 2.1 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Portugal, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 35.6% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $55,600 as of 2022, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $35,800 as of 2022.

be 58.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Portugal, that number is 6.0% as of 2022.

be 86.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Portugal, however, that number is 16.4% as of 2021.

pay a 22.0% higher top tax rate

Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Portugal, the top tax rate is 56.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Portugal, 12.0 women do as of 2020.

be 51.5% more likely to die during infancy

In Iceland, approximately 1.6 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 35.7% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 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 18.0% less likely to have internet access

In Iceland, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Portugal, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 35.1% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Portugal spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 10.4% more on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Portugal, that number is 10.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 63.9% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Directorate of Internal Revenue, 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.
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How big is Portugal compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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