Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 17.8% less likely to be obese

In Ireland, 25.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Portugal, that number is 20.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 63.9% less money

Ireland has a GDP per capita of $115,600 as of 2023, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $41,700 as of 2023.

be 49.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Ireland, 4.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 6.5% as of 2023.

be 17.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Portugal, however, that number is 16.4% as of 2021.

pay a 17.7% higher top tax rate

Ireland has a top tax rate of 48.0% as of 2016. In Portugal, the top tax rate is 56.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 28.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Ireland, approximately 3.5 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.

be 2.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Ireland, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Portugal, 12.0 women do as of 2020.

have 27.0% fewer children

In Ireland, there are approximately 11.1 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 13.7% less likely to have internet access

In Ireland, approximately 95.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Portugal, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 61.3% more on education

Ireland spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Portugal spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 49.3% more on healthcare

Ireland spends 7.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Portugal, that number is 10.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 23.8% more coastline

Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, The Office of the Revenue Commissioners, 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 Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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